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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://archive.org/details/youthshistoricalOOfroi 


THE    YOUTH'S 

R:l  S  T  Q-R  I  C  A  L    8!  FT! 


CHRISTMAS,  NEW-YEAR  AND  BIRTH-DAY  PRESENT. 


CONTAINING  '. 

FAMILIAR  DESCRIPTIONS  OF  CIVIL,  MILITARY  AND  NAVAL 

EVENTS,  BY  THE  OLD  ENGLISH  CHRONICLERS, 

FROISSART,  MONSTRELLET,  AND  OTHERS. 


ALSO, 


THE  HISTORY  OF  JOAN  OF  ARC,  AND  HER  TIMES. 


EDITED  BY  E.  M.  EVANS. 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  FORTY  ENGRAVINGS. 


NEW- YORK  : 
D.  APPLETON  &  CO.,  200  BROADWAY. 

PHILADELPHIA: 
GEO.  S.  APPLETON,  143  CHESNUT-ST. 

MDCCCXLVII. 


CONTENTS. 


Page 
FIRST  EVENING— THE  BATTLE  OF  OTTERBOURNE— 

Chevy  Chace — Disputes  between  the  Nevilles  and  Percies — 
The  Scots  make  an  Inroad  on  England — Douglas  conquers 
Sir  Henry  Percy's  pennon  before  Newcastle — Battle  of 
Otterbourne — Death  of  Douglas — Adventures  of  Sir  Mat- 
thew Redman 9 

SECOND  EVENING— THE  WARS  OF  GHENT— 

Flourishing  condition  of  Flanders — Jacob  Van  Artavelde — 
Origin  of  the  Troubles  in  Ghent — John  Lyon  establishes 
the  White  Hoods — Murder  of  the  Earl's  Bailiff,  and  De- 
struction of  his  favourite  Country-house — War  between 
the  Earl  and  the  Ghent  Men — Peace  mediated  by  the 
Duke  of  Burgundy — Recommencement  of  the  War — 
Siege  of  Ghent — Death  of  John  de  Launoy    .         .         .54 

THIRD  EVENING-PHILIP  VAN  ARTAVELDE— 

Philip  Van  Artavelde  made  Governor  of  Ghent — Second 
Siege  of  Ghent — Propositions  for  a  Peace — Philip  Van 
Artavelde  and  Peter  Dubois  assassinate  the  Deputies  who 
bring  the  Earl's  Answer — Great  Distress  in  Ghent— Con- 
ferences in  Tournay — The  Ghent  Men  march  against 
Bruges — Wat  Tyler — The  Jacquerie      .         .         .         .93 


501186 


4  CONTENTS. 

Page 
FOURTH  EVENING— PHILIP  VAN  ARTAVELDE,  CON- 
CLUDED— 

Battle  of  Bruges — Danger  of  the  Earl  of  Flanders — Philip 
Van  Artavelde  governs  all  Flanders — Siege  of  Oudenarde 
— Battle  of  Rosebecque — Death  of  Philip — The  War  con- 
tinued— Peace  concluded  between  the  Duke  of  Burgundy 
and  the  Ghent  Men        .         .         .         .         .         .         .131 

FIFTH  EVENING— JACQUELINE  OF  HOLLAND— 

Ladies'  Head-dresses — "  Au  Hennin  " — Jacqueline  of  Hol- 
land— Her  unfortunate  Second  Marriage — Escapes  to 
England — Marries  the  Duke  of  Gloucester — 13  joyfully  re- 
ceived in  Hainault — Betrayed  by  the  Inhabitants  of  Mons 
— Her  subsequent  Adventures,  and  Death        .         .         .163 

JOAN  OF  ARC. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Introductory 9 

CHAPTER  II. 

Sir  Peter  de  Craon  attempts  to  murder  the  Constable  Clisson 
— King  Charles  is  seized  with  Madness  .         .         .16 

CHAPTER  III. 

Disputes  between  the  Dukes  of  Orleans  and  Burgundy — 
Murder  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans — The  Duke  of  Burgundy 
justifies  the  Murder,  and  obtains  a  Pardon  from  the  King    37 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Wars  of  the  Burgundians  and  Armagnacs  .         .         .48 

CHAPTER  V. 

Henry  V.  succeeds  to  the  Throne  of  England — Makes  War 
on  France — Siege  of  Harfleur 57 


CONTENTS.  O 

Page 
CHAPTER -VI. 

Battle  of  Agincourt 64 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Imprisonment  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans — King  Henry  again 
invades  France — Siege  of  Rouen — Murder  of  the  Duke 
of  Burgundy  ........     77 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Treaty  of  Troyes — Marriage  of  King  Henry — Birth  of  his 
Son — Death  of  King  Henry  .         .         .         .         .88 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Death  of  King  Charles — War  against  the  Dauphin,  or 
Charles  VII.,  carried  on  by  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  Regent 
for  Henry  VI. — Siege  of  Orleans  .         .         .         .95 

CHAPTER  X. 
Joan  of  Arc 104 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Joan  declares  her  Mission  to  King  Charles — Goes  to  Orleans 
— and  forces  the  English  to  raise  the  Siege     .         .         .118 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Siege  of  Jergeau: — King  Charles  is  crowned  in  Rheims — 
Joan  is  wounded  before  the  Walls  of  Paris — She  and  her 
Family  are  raised  to  the  Rank  of  Nobility — She  is  taken 
Prisoner  before  Compiegne 125 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Joan  is  delivered  up  to  the  Duke  of  Bedford — Tried  for 
Witchcraft  and  Heresy — Sentenced  to  perpetual  Confine- 
ment— Infamous  Behaviour  of  the  Bishop  of  Beauvais — 
She  is  condemned  as  a  relapsed  Heretic  and  burnt  .         .  139 


6  CONTENTS. 

Page 
CHAPTER  XIV. 

Decline  of  the  English  Power  in  France — Quarrel  between 
the  Dukes  of  Bedford  and  Burgundy — Treaty  of  Arras — 
Death  of  the  Duke  of  Bedford — Loss  of  Paris — Marriage 
of  King  Henry — The  English  lose  all  their  French  Do- 
minions with  the  exception  of  Calais — Conclusion  .         .  157 


LIST  OF  PLATES. 

PAGE 

Tke  Duke  of  Burgundy  armed,  and  bearing  the  great  Ducal  Sword. 
(.Frontispiece.) 

Jedburgh <,        .        .    22 

Lochaber  Axes .        22 

The  Death  of  Douglas 42 

The  Bishop  of  Durham  leading  his  forces  against  the  Scots       ,        .        51 

Gate  of  Ghent— Bruges 69 

Entry  of  the  Earl  of  Flanders  into  Ghent 83 

Ancient  Palace  of  the  Dukes  of  Burgundy  and  Lille      ....  107 

Court  of  the  Bishop's  Palace  at  Liege Ill 

Tournay,  as  it  appealed  two  hundred  years  ago 114 

Hotel  De  Ville,  Oudenarde 152 

March  of  the  French  against  the  Ghent  Men  .  153 

Battle  of  Rosebecqtie 156 

Rejoicings  at  Ghent  on  the  Conclusion  of  Peace 161 

Female  Head-dresses  of  the  Fifteenth  Century,  styled  Au  Hennin    .       165 

Insurrection  of  the  Populace  at  Mons 177 

Antwerp 183 

JOAN  OF  ARC. 

King  Henry  V.  of  England,  with  Military  Attendants  (Title.) 

Remains  of  the  Wall  of  Harfleur 10 

Castle  and  Fortification,  erected  by  Henry  V.  in  Rouen         .        .        .12 

Place  de  La  Pucelle,  Rouen 14 

Shrine  of  St.  Aquaire        ..........    35 

Duke  of  Burgundy  carried  in  a  Horse  Litter 40 

Duchess  of  Orleans,  with  her  Son,  before  Charles  VT.  .        .        .44 

Ceremony  of  Excommunication  by  Bell,  Book,  and  Candle        .        .        53 
Procession  of  the  King  to  perform  the  funeral  obsequies  of  the  Duke  of 

Orleans 55 

Coronation  of  Henry  V.  of  England 57 

The  Town  of  Harfleur  during  the  Siege 62 


8  LIST    OF    PLATES. 


PAGE 

Captivity  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans  in  the  Tower  of  London   .        .        .77 

The  City  of  Rouen 83 

View  of  Chateau  Gaillard         .  85 

The  Murder  of  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  at  the  Bridge  of  Montereau  .        86 

Katharine,  Queen  of  Henry  V.,  with  attendants 90 

View  of  Orleans 96 

Earl  of  Suffolk  battering  the  Walls  of  Orleans 98 

Ruins  of  the  Castle  of  Chinon 102 

The  Provost  of  Rheims  presenting  the  Keys  of  the  City  to  Charles  VII.  128 

Entry  of  Charles  VII.  into  Rheima -   .  129 

The  Cathedral  of  St.  Denis 133 

View  of  the  Town  of  Caen 157 

The  Duke  of  Burgundy  on  his  way  to  ArraB 163 


EVENINGS  WITH  THE  CHRONICLERS. 


FIRST  EVENING. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  OTTERBOURNE. 

Chevy  Chace — Disputes  between  the  Nevilles  and  Percies — The 
Scots  make  an  inroad  on  England — Douglas  conquers  Sir  Hen- 
ry Percy's  Pennon  before  Newcastle — Battle  of  Otterbourne — 
Death  of  Douglas — Adventures  of  Sir  Matthew  Redman. 

"  What  are  you  reading,  Henry  ?"  said 
uncle  Rupert  to  his  nephew,  who  sat  by  the 
fire  with  a  book  in  his  hand,  on  which  he 
appeared  very  intent.  "  What  are  you 
reading,  that  seems  to  give  you  so  much 
pleasure  ?" 

"  About  the  battle  of  Chevy  Chace," 
said  Henry,  showing  his  book,  a  volume  of 
the  Spectator,  to  his  uncle ;  "  and  I  was  as 
much  delighted  with  it  as  Sir  Philip  Sid- 
ney, who  said — see  here,  uncle — '  that  he 
never  heard  the  old  song  of  Percy  and 
Douglas,  that  he  found  not  his  heart  more 

2 


10  THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

moved  than  with  a  trumpet ;  but  was  there 
ever  really  such  a  battle  ?" 

"  No,  my  dear,"  replied  uncle  Rupert ; 
"  the  only  battle  between  a  Douglas  and  a 
Percy,  in  which  an  Earl  of  Douglas  was 
slain,  was  that  of  Otterbourne,  which  was 
fought  in  the  year  1388.  Some  of  the  cir- 
cumstances of  that  battle  gave  rise  to  the 
ballad  of  Chevy  Chace,  but  the  poet  has 
completely  altered  the  story  as  to  the  cause 
of  the  quarrel,  the  number  of  men,  and 
many  other  things.  At  Otterbourne,  Per- 
cy (the  Earl's  son,  for  he  himself  was  not 
there)  was  not  slain,  only  taken  prisoner. 
But  as  the  Percies  and  Douglases  were  con- 
tinually quarrelling,  it  is  very  probable  that 
some  such  hunting  in  the  Cheviot,  as  is  de- 
scribed in  the  ballad,  really  did  take  place, 
though  the  mischief  done  was  not  so  great 
as  is  represented,  and  no  mention  is  made 
of  it  in  history." 

"  I  should  like  to  read  the  ballad  all 
through,"  said  Henry ;  "  there  are  only 
parts  of  it  here." 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.         11 

u  There  are  two  ballads  of  Chevy  Chace," 
said  uncle  Rupert,  "  one  much  older  than 
the  other.  The  one  quoted  in  the  Specta- 
tor is  supposed  to  have  been  written  before 
the  reign  of  James  I.,  and  to  have  been 
occasioned  by  Sir  Philip  Sidney's  complaint, 
that  the  old  ballad  was  <  so  evil  apparelled 
in  the  dust  and  cobwebs  of  that  uncivil 
age ;'  which  caused  some  surprise  to  Mr. 
Addison,  who  wrote  those  papers,  and  who 
was  not  acquainted  with  the  older  ballad, 
which  is  written  in  such  uncouth  Old  En- 
glish, that  you  would  find  it  difficult  to  un- 
derstand. You  can  see  both  ballads,  and 
one  on  Otterbourne,  in  Percy's  '  Reliques 
of  English  Poetry,'  which  I  think  is  in  your 
father's  library ;  and,  I  dare  say,  he  will  let 
you  read  them." 

"But  how  was  it,  uncle,  that  the  Lords 
Percy  and  Douglas  quarrelled  so  often  ?" 
said  Henry. 

"  Because  they  were  such  near  neigh- 
bours," said  uncle  Rupert,  with  a  smile. 
"  You  know,  I  believe,  that  until  Scotland 


12  THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

and  England  were  both  ruled  by  the  same 
king,  they  were  almost  continually  at  war ; 
and  even  when  the  countries  were  at  peace, 
the  people  who  lived  on  the  borders,  or 
marches,  as  they  were  called,  that  is  those 
parts  of  the  two  countries  which  joined 
each  other,  still  kept  up  a  petty  warfare, 
their  favourite  practice  being  to  ride  into 
their  neighbours'  territories  and  drive  away 
their  cattle. 

"  To  prevent  such  inroads,  the  care  of 
the  borders,  both  Scotch  and  English,  was 
usually  intrusted  to  the  most  powerful  no- 
blemen wTho  resided  in  the  neighbourhood, 
and  who  were  called  Lords  Wardens  of  the 
Marches.  Now,  as  the  Earls  of  Percy  and 
Douglas  were  among  these,  they  were  very 
frequently  appointed  Lords  Wardens ;  and 
in  settling  disputes  between  other  people, 
they  very  often  disputed  themselves,  and 
sometimes  they  would  purposely  insult  each 
other,  as  in  hunting  in  each  other's  grounds 
without  leave,  and  in  other  ways." 

"Uncle,"  said  Henry,  after  pausing  for 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.         13 

a  short  time  when  his  uncle  had  ceased 
speaking,  "I  want  to  ask  a  great  favour  of 
you.  You  told  us  last  summer  several  very 
pretty  stories  out  of  a  book  written  a  great 
many  years  ago  by  Sir  John  Froissart.  1 
have  not  forgotten  them,  I  assure  you.  Now, 
would  you  be  so  kind  as  to  tell  me  all  about 
the  battle  of  Otterbourne ;  and  I  am  sure 
Clara,  who  sits  so  still  in  the  corner  there, 
would  like  to  hear  it  too." 

"  Oh,  that  I  should,"  cried  Clara,  jumping 
up  and  running  to  her  uncle.  "  Pray,  do, 
dear  uncle,  for  I  am  very  fond  of  your 
stories." 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  said  uncle  Rupert, 
"  but  we  must  apply  to  your  old  friend,  Sir 
John  Froissart,  to  whom  we  are  indebted 
for  the  best  account  we  possess  of  this  re- 
markable battle."  And  taking  down  the 
book  from  the  library  shelves,  and  laying  it 
open  beside  him,  uncle  Rupert  thus  began 
his  tale  of  the  battle  of  Otterbourne: — 

"The  Nevilles  and  the  Percies  were  the 
two  most  powerful  families  in  the  north  of 


14  THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

England,  and  their  united  forces  had  gen- 
erally been  found  sufficient  to  repel  any  in- 
road of  the  Scots.  But  it  so  happened  that 
a  quarrel  broke  out  between  these  families ; 
and  their  restless  neighbours  determined  to 
take  advantage  of  their  disunion.  The 
Lord  Neville  who  had  held  the  office  of 
Warden  of  the  Marches  for  five  years  was 
suddenly  dismissed,  and  the  Earl  of  Nor- 
thumberland was  put  in  his  place.  This 
made  Lord  Neville  exceedingly  angry,  es- 
pecially as  he  attributed  the  loss  of  his  of- 
fice less  to  any  displeasure  of  the  king's, 
than  to  the  contrivance  of  Northumberland, 
who  had  accepted  it  at  a  far  lower  rate  of 
remuneration  than  Neville  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  receive.  This  created  much  ani- 
mosity and  hatred  between  the  Percies  and 
Nevilles,  who  were  neighbours,  and  had 
been  friends. 

"  The  barons  and  knights  of  Scotland, 
knowing  this  quarrel  would  prevent  the 
Percies  and  Nevilles  from  uniting  to  oppose 
them,  thought  the  opportunity  very  favoura- 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.         15 

ble  for  making  an  inroad  on  England.  The 
better  to  conceal  their  intentions,  they  ap- 
pointed a  feast  to  be  held  at  Aberdeen,  on 
the  borders  of  the  Highlands.  The  greater 
part  of  the  barons  attended,  and  it  was  then 
resolved  that  in  the  middle  of  August,  1388, 
they  would  assemble  all  their  forces  at  a 
castle  called  Judburgh,  situated  amongst 
deep  forests  on  the  borders  of  Cumberland. 
Having  arranged  their  plans  they  separated, 
but  never  mentioned  one  word  of  their  in- 
tention to  the  king;  for  they  said  among 
themselves  he  knew  nothing  about  war." 

"  But  uncle,'5  said  Henry,  "  did  the  Scot- 
tish lords  dare  to  make  war  on  England 
without  their  king  ?  I  thought  kings  only 
made  war,  and  the  lords  and  people  followed 
them  to  battle.  Could  not  the  king  of  Scot- 
land govern  his  country,  and  why  was  it  that 
the  barons  and  knights  could  do  as  they 
pleased  r" 

"  Your  questions  are  very  well  put,  my 
dear  boy,"  said  uncle  Rupert.  "  It  does 
appear  strange  to  see  all  the  chief  men  of 


16  THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

a  kingdom  banding  together  to  undertake  a 
war  against  the  most  powerful  enemy  of  the 
country,  but  carefully  concealing  their  de- 
sign from  their  king,  whose  office  it  was  to 
direct  all  warlike  enterprises.  It  is  indeed 
very  difficult  for  us,  living  at  a  period  when 
the  laws  are  well  understood,  and  strictly 
and  impartially  executed, — when  every  sub- 
ject's rights  are  precisely  known  and  easily 
defended,  and  the  power  of  the  sovereign 
is  exactly  defined,  and  willingly  submitted 
to, — to  form  any  correct  idea  of  the  state 
of  a  country  possessing  wise  and  excellent 
laws,  which,  however,  remained  almost  use- 
less for  want  of  a  sufficient  authority  to  en- 
force their  execution ; — where  the  barons 
and  other  great  landholders  thought  them- 
selves superior  to  all  law,  and  assumed  the 
power  of  little  kings  in  their  own  territories, 
and  over  their  own  retainers ;  and  even,  as 
it  is  expressed  in  an  Act  of  Parliament 
passed  in  England  but  a  few  years  before 
the  time  we  have  been  speaking  of,  '  per- 
sons of  small  lands,  or  other  possessions, 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.  17 

made  great  retinues  of  people,  as  well  of 
esquires  as  of  others,  in  many  parts  of  the 
realm,  giving  to  them  hats  and  other  livery, 
of  one  suit  by  the  year,'  on  condition  '  that 
each  should  maintain  the  other  in  all  quar- 
rels, be  they  reasonable  or  unreasonable,  to 
the  great  mischief  and  oppression  of  the 
people.'  If  such  were  the  case  in  Eng- 
land, it  was  still  worse  in  Scotland.  The 
acknowledged  power  of  the  king  of  Eng- 
land was  very  great,  and  when  it  was  not 
weakened,  (as  by  Edward  III.  by  his  long 
wars  in  France,  which  prevented  him  from 
giving  sufficient  attention  to  affairs  at  home; 
or  as  by  Richard  II.,  who  disgusted  both 
nobles  and  people  by  his  attachment  to  un- 
worthy favourites,  and  his  unbounded  ex- 
travagance,) they  were  able  to  enforce,  at 
least  a  partial  obedience  to  the  laws,  and 
there  was  no  single  lord,  however  great, 
who  possessed  sufficient  power  to  brave 
the  authority  of  the  king  when  he  chose  to 
put  it  forth.  But  in  Scotland  it  was  very 
different,  and  the  kings  there  were  but  too 

2* 


18  THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

often  kings  only  in  name.  There  were 
many  single  lords  who  were  able  to  brave 
the  king  openly,  and  did  not  scruple  to  do 
so  if  at  all  provoked,  who  could  with  ease 
bring  more  men  into  the  field  than  the  king 
could  muster,  unless  he  had  recourse  to  the 
aid  of  some  other  powerful  lord.  The  coun- 
try was  very  thinly  inhabited,  and  almost 
every  man  was  the  follower  of  some  great 
lord,  whom  he  looked  up  to  with  much  more 
reverence  than  his  king.  There  were  but 
few  towns,  and  very  little  trade  was  carried 
on  in  them  ;  and  thus  the  kings  of  Scotland 
were  deprived  of  one  great  resource  possess- 
ed by  the  kings  of  England,  1  mean  the 
contributions  in  money  which  were  fre- 
quently given  to  them  by  the  rich  towns 
of  London,  Bristol,  and  others,  which  were 
already  flourishing.  The  personal  charac- 
ter of  a  king  must  always  have  some  influ- 
ence upon  the  welfare  of  his  kingdom,  but 
in  those  days  the  execution  of  the  laws  al- 
most entirely  depended  upon  the  degree 
of  power  he  possessed  over  the  nobility; 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.         19 

and  it  required  an  active  energetic  man  to 
govern  such  unruly  subjects.  Poor  King 
Robert  of  Scotland  was  very  unfit  to  rule 
over  his  rude  and  turbulent  barons.  He 
was  a  man  of  mild  and  gentle  disposition, 
suffered  much  from  a  weakness  in  his  eyes, 
and  although  a  brave  warrior  in  his  youth, 
was  now  become  old  and  infirm.  It  is  very 
true,  that,  as  his  barons  said  at  Aberdeen, 
he  knew  nothing  of  war;  he  was  even 
averse  from  it,  and  not  very  long  before 
had  endeavoured  to  prevent  them  and  some 
French  knights  who  had  come  over  to  Scot- 
land, from  making  an  inroad  on  England ; 
but  they  would  not  listen  to  him  then,  and 
now  we  see  they  determined  to  act  as  they 
pleased  without  consulting  him  at  all." 

"  Thank  you,  uncle,"  said  Henry.  "  I 
understand  how  the  barons  and  knights 
came  to  make  war  without  the  king's  leave 
better  than  I  did.  But  if  nobody  obeyed 
the  king  or  the  laws,  and  the  king  could 
not  oblige  the  people  to  obey  them,  what 
use  was  it  to  have  a  king  at  all  ?" 


20         THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

"  Truly,  my  dear  boy,"  replied  uncle  Ru- 
pert ;  "  if  such  had  been  the  case,  without 
any  exception,  it  would  have  been  time  for 
the  king  to  lay  down  his  sceptre  and  pre- 
tend no  more  to  rule.  But  as  long  as  the 
people,  however  disobedient,  acknowledged 
that  the  laws  ought  to  be  obeyed,  and  that 
the  king  was  the  person  by  whom  the  laws 
ought  to  be  administered,  he  really  possessed 
very  considerable  power ;  for  however  con- 
venient it  might  be  sometimes  to  break  the 
laws,  yet  at  others  it  was  found  equally  con- 
venient to  claim  the  benefit  of  them.  Now, 
as  even  the  barons  and  knights  of  whom  we 
have  been  talking,  did  not  pretend  to  say 
that  the  laws  ought  not  to  be  obeyed,  but 
only  refused  to  do  so  when  they  had  no 
mind  to  be  obedient,  the  kings  were  always 
sure  of  the  support  of  all  who  desired  to  ob- 
tain any  advantage  by  the  exercise  of  the 
law ;  they  had  also  the  support  of  all  who 
were  desirous  that  good  order  should  be 
maintained  ;  and  they  themselves  possessed 
the  same  sort  of  power  as  their  barons,  over 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.  21 

their  own  landed  estates,  where  no  one 
could  interfere  in  the  execution  of  the  laws, 
and  from  which  they  could  draw  support  in 
armed  followers,  and  supplies  of  money 
and  produce.  Thus,  however  ill  the  law 
was  obeyed,  still  it  was  kept  in  force,  and 
gradually,  as  men  became  richer,  and  had 
more  to  lose,  and  better  educated,  and 
therefore  wiser,  they  grew  less  fond  of 
fighting,  and  sought  protection  rather  from 
the  laws  than  from  the  sword.  Thus  you 
see  that  although  the  barons  and  knights 
chose  to  go  to  war  without  King  Robert's 
leave,  it  was  well  that  he  did  not  on  that  ac- 
count refuse  to  be  king  any  longer.  The  pro- 
bable consequence  would  have  been,  that 
they  would  have  fallen  out  and  fought  among 
themselves  who  should  be  king  in  his  stead, 
and  the  laws  would  most  likely  have  been  lost 
altogether.  Now  let  us  return  to  our  story. 
"  At  the  appointed  time  the  Earl  James 
of  Douglas,  the  head  of  the  most  powerful 
family  in  Scotland,  and  a  large  company  of 
the  lords,  knights,  and  squires  of  Scotland, 


22 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 


arrived  at  Jedburgh.  There  had  not  been 
seen  for  sixty  years  so  numerous  an  assem- 
bly ;  they  amounted  to  full  three  thousand 
six  hundred  horsemen,  one  third  of  whom 

were  clothed   in  full   armour,   and  carried 

# 

lances,  but  the  rest  were  not  quite  so  well 
armed ;  besides  forty  thousand  other  men 
and  archers  :  the  number  of  these  last  was 
not  very  great,  for  the  Scots  were  but  little 
acquainted  with  the  use  of  the  bow ;  their 


favourite  weapon  was  the  axe,  which  they 
carried  slung  over  their  shoulders,  and  when 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.  23 

engaged  in  battle  gave  deadly  blows  with 
them.  Here  is  a  picture  showing  the  forms 
of  their  axes,  which  went  by  the  names  of 
Lochaber  axes,  or  Jedburgh  staves,  so  called 
from  the  places  were  they  were  made  and 
most  generally  used." 

"  Oh  dear,  uncle,"  cried  Clara,  "  what 
curious  shapes ;  here  is  one  that  looks  just 
like  the  knife  the  cheesemonger  uses  to  cut 
up  his  cheeses ;  and  what  is  this  hook  at 
the  back  for  ?" 

"  The  hook,"  said  uncle  Rupert,  "  was 
used  to  catch  hold  of  the  knights'  armour 
and  pull  them  from  their  horses.  The  fig- 
ure to  the  left  seems  intended  to  be  used  as 
a  lance  or  an  axe  as  there  was  occasion ; 
and  this  on  the  right  was,  I  conjecture,  con- 
trived for  the  purpose  of  wrenching  open 
the  bars  of  the  helmet,  or  forcing  away 
other  pieces  of  armour,  to  afford  an  oppor- 
tunity of  dealing  a  deadly  wound.  Now 
we  will  go  on  : — 

"  The  Scotch  lords  were  well  pleased 
with  meeting  with  each  other,  and  declared 


24         THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

they  would  never  return  to  their  homes 
without  having  made  such  an  inroad  on 
England  as  should  be  remembered  for 
twenty  years  to  come.  They  then  fixed 
another  meeting  to  be  held  at  a  church 
called  Kirk  Yetholm,  in  the  forest  of  Jed- 
burgh, close  upon  the  borders,  before  they 
began  their  march,  and  where  they  were  to 
settle  all  their  plans. 

"  Froissart  tells  us  that  every  thing  is 
known  to  those  who  are  diligent  in  their 
inquiries ;  and  the  Earl  of  Northumberland 
soon  had  intelligence  of  the  feast  at  Aber- 
deen, and  the  meeting  appointed  at  Kirk 
Yetholm.  The  barons  and  knights  of  Nor- 
thumberland, in  consequence,  made  their 
preparations,  but  very  secretly,  that  the 
Scots  might  not  know  of  it,  and  had  retired 
to  their  castles  ready  to  sally  forth  on  the 
first  notice  of  the  arrival  of  the  enemy. 
They  said,  i  If  the  Scots  enter  the  coun- 
try through  Cumberland  by  Carlisle,  we 
will  ride  into  Scotland  and  do  them  more 
damage  than  they  can  do  us ;  for  theirs  is 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.  25 

an  open  country  which  may  be  entered  any 
where,  but  ours  is  defended  with  strong  and 
well  fortified  towns  and  castles.' 

"  To  be  more  sure  of  the  designs  of  the 
Scots,  they  determined  to  send  an  English 
gentleman,  well  acquainted  with  the  coun- 
try to  the  meeting  at  Kirk  Yetholm.  He 
thought  in  such  a  large  assembly  he  should 
run  no  risk  of  discovery ;  and  he  managed 
so  well,  that  by  pretending  to  be  a  servant 
following  his  master,  he  got  into  the  church 
and  heard  all  that  was  determined  on  among 
the  leaders  of  the  enterprise.  When  the 
meeting  was  near  breaking  up  he  thought 
it  was  time  to  be  gone,  and  leaving  the 
church,  went  to  a  tree  where  he  had  left 
his  horse  tied  up.  But,  alas !  his  horse 
was  gone.  It  had  been  stolen  away,  and 
the  unlucky  Englishman,  not  daring  to  make 
inquiries  for  fear  of  being  found  out,  walked 
off  in  a  sorrowful  mood,  plodding  along  in 
his  heavy  horseman's  jack-boots  and  long 
jingling  spurs,  very  doubtful  as  to  how  he 
should  get  home  again.     He  had  not  gone 


26         THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

far  from  the  church  when  he  was  observed 
by  some  Scots  knights  who  were  standing 
talking  together.  The  first  who  saw  him 
exclaimed,  '  I  have  seen  many  wonderful 
things,  but  this  is  as  wonderful  as  any. 
Look  at  that  man  walking  all  by  himself; 
he  seems  to  have  lost  his  horse,  and  yet  he 
makes  no  stir  about  it.  Depend  upon  it, 
he  is  not  one  of  our  men.  Let  us  follow 
him  and  see  whether  I  am  right  or  not.'  They 
soon  overtook  the  poor  Englishman,  who 
was  very  much  alarmed,  and  wished  him- 
self any  where  else.  They  asked  him  whith- 
er he  was  going,  whence  he  had  come,  and 
what  he  had  done  with  his  horse  ?  As  he 
hesitated,  and  contradicted  himself  in  his  an- 
swers, they  took  him  back  to  the  church,  and 
made  him  give  an  account  of  himself  to  the 
Earl  Douglas  and  the  other  Lords.  He  was 
obliged  to  tell  all  he  knew,  and  to  confess 
that  the  English  knew  very  well  how  many 
men  the  Scots  had  got  together ;  that  they 
expected  they  would  enter  England  by  way 
of  Cumberland,  (which  had,  in  fact,  been 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.  27 

determined  on  that  very  day  in  church,)  and 
that  in  that  case  the  English  intended  to 
make  an  inroad  in  Scotland,  through  Ber- 
wick-upon-Tweed, to  Dunbar,  Dalkeith, 
and  Edinburgh  ;  and  if  the  Scots  advanced 
by  way  of  Northumberland,  the  English 
would  fall  upon  Scotland  from  Cumberland. 
The  Scots  upon  this  altered  their  plan,  and 
divided  their  army  into  two  bodies.  Tt  was 
agreed  that  the  largest  party  should  plunder 
and  lay  waste  Cumberland,  as  far  as  Car- 
lisle ;  and  that  the  Earl  of  Douglas,  the 
Earl  of  March  and  Dunbar,  and  the  Earl 
of  Moray,  with  three  hundred  chosen  spear- 
men, who,  with  their  attendants,  made  a 
body  of  nine  hundred  men,  and  two  thou- 
sand common  men  and  archers,  all  well 
mounted,  should  lay  waste  the  county  of 
Durham,  and  besiege  the  town  of  Newcas- 
tle ;  and  it  was  agreed  between  them  that  if 
the  English  attacked  either  party,  the  other 
should  come  to  their  assistance  ;  and  by  this 
plan  they  hoped  to  prevent  the  English, 
whom  they  believed  could  not  muster  any 


28         THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

force  strong  enough  to  oppose  their  inroad, 
from  breaking  in  their  turn  into  Scotland. 

"  The  parties  then  separated,  and  Earl 
Douglas  and  his  companions  riding  at  a 
good  pace  through  by-roads,  without  attack- 
ing town,  castle,  or  house,  arrived  on  the 
lands  of  the  Lord  Percy,  and  crossed  the 
river  Tyne  without  any  opposition,  at  the 
place  they  had  fixed  on,  about  three  leagues 
above  Newcastle,  near  to  Brancepeth,  when 
they  entered  the  rich  county  of  Durham, 
and  instantly  began  their  war  by  burning 
towns  and  slaying  the  inhabitants. 

"  The  barons  of  Northumberland  hearing 
nothing  of  their  squire,  suspected  what  had 
befallen  him ;  but  as  they  were  thus  left 
without  any  intelligence  of  the  movements 
of  the  Scots,  they  were  obliged  to  remain 
quiet,  only  ordering  every  one  to  be  pre- 
pared to  march  at  a  moment's  notice.  The 
Scots  had  marched  so  secretly  that  nothing 
was  heard  of  them  until  they  had  begun  to 
burn  and  plunder  in  Durham,  and  then  when 
the  news  was  carried  to  Newcastle  and  the 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.  29 

city  of  Durham,  it  was  already  plain  enough 
from  the  smoke  that  was  every  where  seen 
around. 

11  The  Earl  of  Northumberland,  who  was 
at  Alnwick,  determined  on  remaining  there, 
but  he  sent  his  two  sons,  Sir  Henry  and  Sir 
Ralph  Percy,  to  Newcastle,  where  they 
were  joined  by  Sir  Matthew  Redman,  the 
governor  of  Berwick,  and  so  many  other 
knights  and  gentlemen  that  the  town  was 
filled  with  more  than  it  could  lodge.  The 
Scots,  in  the  mean  time,  continued  destroy- 
ing and  burning  all  before  them.  They 
came  to  the  gates  of  Durham,  where  they 
skirmished,  but  made  no  long  stay,  and  set 
out  on  their  return,  driving  off  the  cattle, 
and  carrying  away  all  the  booty  they  thought 
worth  their  pains.  The  country  is  very  rich 
between  Durham  and  Newcastle,  which  are 
but  fifteen  miles  apart ;  there  was  not  a 
town  in  all  this  district,  unless  well  enclosed, 
that  was  not  burnt.  The  Scots  recrossed 
the  Tyne  at  the  same  place,  and  came  be- 
fore Newcastle,  where  they  halted.     They 


30         THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

remained  there  three  days,  which  were  oc- 
cupied by  an  almost  continual  skirmish. 

"  The  sons  of  the  Earl  of  Northumber- 
land, from  their  great  courage,  were  always 
first  at  the  barriers,  which  I  think  I  once 
told  you  were  strong  wooden  palings  erected 
before  the  gates  of  a  castle  or  town,  extend- 
ing to  some  distance,  and  which  must  be 
passed  by  the  besiegers  before  they  could 
reach  the  walls.  At  these  barriers  many 
valiant  deeds  of  arms  were  done,  the  com- 
batants fighting  with  their  lances,  which 
they  thrust  through  the  barriers  ;  and  here 
the  Earl  of  Douglas  had  a  long  conflict  with 
Sir  Henry  Percy,  and  in  it,  by  gallantry  of 
arms,  won  his  pennon,  to  the  great  vexation 
of  Sir  Henry  and  the  other  English." 

"  What  is  meant  by  a  pennon,  uncle  ?" 
asked  Clara. 

"  The  swallow-tailed  flag,  my  dear,  which 
every  knight  carried  at  the  head  of  his 
lance,"  replied  uncle  Rupert.  "  The  squires 
bore  no  flag,  and  it  was  reckoned  a  great 
dishonour  for  a  knight's  pennon  to  be  taken 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.  31 

from  him.  The  Earl  of  Douglas  laughed 
at  Sir  Henry,  when  he  had  taken  his  pen- 
non, and  called  out  to  him,  "  I  will  carry 
this  token  of  your  valour  with  me  to  Scot- 
land, and  place  it  on  the  tower  of  my  cas- 
tle at  Dalkeith,  that  it  may  be  seen  from 
far."  '  By  my  faith,  Earl  of  Douglas,'  re- 
plied Sir  Henry,  c  you  shall  not  even  bear 
it  out  of  Northumberland,  you  may  be  well 
assured  of  this  ;  nor  shall  you  have  any  rea- 
son to  boast  about  it.5  '  You  must  come 
then  to-night  to  seek  for  your  pennon,'  re- 
plied the  Earl  of  Douglas.  '  I  shall  fix  it 
before  my  tent,  and  shall  see  if  you  dare 
to  come  to  carry  it  away.' 

"  As  it  was  now  late,  both  parties  went 
to  their  quarters,  disarmed  themselves,  and 
sat  down  to  supper  ;  they  had  plenty  of  pro- 
visions, especially  beef  and  mutton,  but  the 
Scots  kept  a  very  careful  watch,  as  they  ex- 
pected a  night  attack;  but  Sir  Henry  was 
so  strongly  advised  by  his  friends  not  to  at- 
tempt it,  that  he  was  obliged,  although  sore- 
ly against  his  will,  to  remain  quiet. 


32         THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

"  The  Scots  set  out  very  early  next  morn- 
ing, taking  the  road  to  their  own  country. 
They  stopped  about  five  miles  from  New- 
castle, and  took  and  burnt  the  town  and 
castle  of  Pentland,  and  then  marched  on 
about  nineteen  miles  further  to  Otterbourne, 
where  there  was  another  castle,  which  was 
tolerably  strong,  and  situated  among  mar- 
shes. They  were  too  tired  to  attempt  it 
that  night,  but  the  next  morning  they  made 
an  unsuccessful  attack,  and  returning  to 
their  quarters  they  held  a  council,  when  the 
greater  part  were  of  opinion  that  they  had 
better  decamp  and  go  to  join  their  friends 
before  Carlisle ;  but  the  Earl  of  Douglas 
overruled  this,  by  saying,  { In  despite  of  Sir 
Henry  Percy,  who,  the  day  before  yester- 
day, declared  he  would  take  from  me  his 
pennon,  that  I  conquered  by  fair  deeds  of 
arms  before  the  gates  of  Newcastle,  I  will 
not  depart  hence  for  two  or  three  days  ;  and 
we  will  renew  our  attack  on  the  castle,  for 
it  is  to  be  taken.  We  shall  thus  gain  dou- 
ble honour,  and  see  if  within  that  time  he 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.         33 

will  come  for  his  pennon ;  if  he  do,  it  shall 
be  well  defended.'  Every  one  agreed  to 
what  the  Earl  of  Douglas  had  said,  for  it 
was  not  only  honourable,  but  he  was  the 
principal  commander ;  and  from  affection 
to  him  they  quietly  returned  to  their  quar- 
ters. They  made  huts  of  trees  and  branches, 
and  strongly  fortified  themselves.  They 
placed  their  baggage  and  servants  at  the 
entrance  of  the  marsh,  on  the  road  to  New- 
castle, and  the  cattle  they  drove  into  the 
marsh  lands. 

"  Meantime,  Sir  Henry  Percy  was  fret- 
ting and  chafing  in  Newcastle.  He  was 
of  such  a  hasty  impatient  disposition,  that 
it  had  gained  him  the  name  of  Hotspur, 
and  you  may  imagine  how  vexed  he  must 
have  been  when  his  friends  insisted  upon  it 
that  he  should  not  follow  Douglas.  They 
thought,  and  with  some  reason,  that  Dou- 
glas's party  was  only  the  forerunner  of  the 
main  body  of  the  Scots.  They  remonstra- 
ted, that  if  the  Scots  were,  as  was  reported, 
forty  thousand  strong,  they  would  surround 

3 


34  THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

them  and  have  them  at  their  mercy ;  and 
that  it  was  much  better  to  lose  a  pennon 
than  two  or  three  hundred  knights  and 
squires,  besides  leaving  the  country  in  a  de- 
fenceles  state.  Hotspur  and  his  brother 
Ralph,  who  was  as  eager  as  himself,  were 
obliged  to  submit,  but  they  remained  very 
discontented,  till  at  length  some  knights 
and  squires,  who  had  followed  and  observed 
the  Scots,  came  in  and  made  a  faithful  re- 
port of  what  they  had  done,  and  how  they 
were  then  encamped  at  Otterbourne.  When 
Sir  Henry  Percy  heard  this,  and  that  their 
army  did  not  exceed  three  thousand  men7 
including  all  sorts,  he  was  greatly  rejoiced, 
and  cried  out,  '  To  horse  !  to  horse  !  for,  by 
my  faith,  I  will  seek  to  recover  my  pennon, 
and  to  beat  up  their  quarters  this  night.5 
None  of  the  knights  and  squires  who  heard 
this  made  any  objection,  but  all  made  them- 
selves ready  without  delay. 

"  The  Bishop  of  Durham  had  been  col^ 
lecting  all  the  men  he  could  raise  to  assist 
the  party  in   Newcastle  against  the  Scots, 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.  35 

and  he  was  expected  there  the  next  day, 
but  Hotspur  would  not  wait,  for  he  said 
that  six  hundred  spears  of  knights  and 
squires,  which  we  may  reckon  as  eighteen 
hundred  men,  and  upwards  of  eight  thou- 
sand foot  soldiers,  which  would  be  more 
than  enough  to  fight  the  Scots,  who  were 
but  three  hundred  lances  and  two  thousand 
others.  But  Hotspur  did  not  take  into  ac- 
count the  difference  between  a  heavily- 
armed  man,  fatigued  by  a  walk  of  full  four- 
and-twenty  miles  in  August,  and  one  who 
is  quite  fresh  and  whose  strength  has  just 
been  recruited  by  a  good  supper ;  nor  did 
he  reflect  that  the  Scots  had  had  time  to 
fortify  their  position. 

"  The  English  set  out  early  in  the  after- 
noon, but  they  did  not  reach  Otterbourne 
till  the  evening,  for  the  greater  part  of  their 
men  were  on  foot ;  and  even  supposing  the 
miles  to  be  somewhat  short  of  the  full 
measure  of  modern  English  miles,  we  can- 
not allow  less  than  eight  hours  for  the 
march.     As  the  Scots  were  supping,  indeed 


36         THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

some  had  gone  to  sleep,  for  they  had  la- 
boured hard  during  the  day  at  the  attack 
of  the  castle,  and  intended  renewing  it  in 
the  cool  of  the  morning,  the  English  ar- 
rived, and  at  first  mistook  the  huts  of  the 
servants  at  the  entrance  of  the  camp  for 
those  of  their  masters.  They  forced  their 
way  into  the  camp,  which  was  however 
tolerably  strong,  shouting  '  Percy  !'.«  Per- 
cy !'  In  such  cases  the  alarm  is  soon  given  ;' 
and  it  was  fortunate  for  the  Scots  that  the 
English  had  made  their  first  attack  on  the 
servants :  for  although  they  only  held  out 
for  a  short  time,  it  put  the  Scots  on  the 
alert,  and  made  them  quite  aware  that  the 
English  had  come  to  beat  them  up.  The 
lords  sent  down  a  number  of  their  stoutest 
followers  and  of  their  footmen,  (for  although 
they  were  all  mounted  on  the  march, 
the  greater  part  of  the  common  men  were 
properly  foot  soldiers,)  to  skirmish  where 
their  presence  seemed  most  needed  ;  and 
in  the  mean  time,  the  rest  armed  them- 
selves, and  each  repaired  to  his  station  un- 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.         37 

der  the  pennon  of  his  Captain,  and  the  ban- 
ner of  one  of  the  Earls,  for  each  Earl  had 
his  separate  charge  that  night.  Whilst  this 
was  effected  the  night  advanced,  but  it  was 
sufficiently  light ;  for  the  moon  shone,  and 
it  was  the  month  of  August,  when  the 
weather  is  temperate  and  serene. 

"  When  the  Scots  were  quite  ready  and 
all  in  order,  they  left  the  camp  in  silence  ; 
but  they  did  not  march  to  meet  the  English 
front ;  but  skirted  the  marshes  and  the  side 
of  a  mountain  which  was  hard  by.  It  was 
a  great  advantage  to  them  that  they  had  on 
the  preceding  day  examined  all  the  country 
round  about,  and  those  among  them  who 
were  most  accustomed  to  arms  had  laid 
down  a  plan,  and  said  among  themselves,  "  If 
the  English  come  to  beat  up  our  quarters, 
we  will  do  so  and  so.'  This  saved  them ; 
for  it  is  of  the  greatest  advantage  to  men-at- 
arms,  when  attacked  in  the  night,  to  have 
previously  arranged  their  mode  of  defence, 
and  well  to  have  weighed  the  chance  of 
victory  or  defeat. 


38  THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

"  The  English  had  soon  overpowered  the 
servants;  but  as  they  advanced  into  the 
camp,  they  found  fresh  bodies  ready  to  op- 
pose them,  and  continue  the  fight.  The 
Scots  in  the  mean  time  had  made  a  circuit, 
and  on  a  sudden  fell  upon  the  English  from 
a  quarter  where  they  did  not  expect  an 
enemy.  The  English  were  taken  by  sur- 
prise, but  they  formed  themselves  in  better 
order,  and  the  shouts  of  '  Percy  V  and 
4  Douglas !'  resounded  on  each  side.  Sir 
Henry  and  Sir  Ralph  Percy,  burning  to 
redeem  the  disgrace  sustained  by  the  loss 
of  the  pennon,  pushed  forward  to  meet  the 
Earl  of  Douglas.  Their  banners  met,  and 
many  gallant  deeds  of  arms  were  done. 
1  Knights  and  squires  were  of  good  courage 
on  both  sides  to  fight  valiantly,'  says  Sir 
John  ;  '  cowards  there  had  no  place,  but 
bravery  was  displayed  in  goodly  feats  of 
arms,  for  knights  and  squires  wTere  so  joined 
together  at  hand  strokes,  that  archers  had 
no  place  of  either  party.  There  the  Scots 
showed  great  daring  and  fought  well  with 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.         39 

great  desire  of  honour ;  the  Englishmen 
were  three  to  one.  Howbeit  I  say  not  but 
the  Englishmen  did  nobly  acquit  themselves, 
for  they  had  rather  die  or  be  taken  prisoners 
than  fly.?  Thus  as  I  have  said  the  ban- 
ners of  Douglas  and  Percy  and  their  men 
were  met  against  each  other,  striving  who 
should  win  the  honour  of  that  day.  At 
the  beginning  the  English  were  so  strong 
that  they  drove  back  their  enemies.  Then 
the  Earl  of  Douglas,  who  was  of  a  great 
heart  and  high  of  enterprise,  seeing  his 
men  fall  back,  that  he  might  recover  the 
place  and  show  his  knightly  valour,  took  his 
axe  in  both  his  hands,  and  entered  so  into 
the  press  that  he  made  himself  way  in  such 
wise  that  none  durst  approach  near  him, 
and  he  was  so  well  armed  that  he  bore  well 
of  such  strokes  as  he  received.  Thus  he 
went  ever  forward  like  a  hardy  Hector, 
willing  alone  to  conquer  the  field  and  to  dis- 
comfit his  enemies. — But  at  last  he  was  en- 
countered with  three  spears  all  at  once  ; 
the  one  struck   him  on   the    shoulder,   the 


40         THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

other  on  the  breast,  and  the  stroke  glanced 
down  to  his  belly,  and  the  third  struck 
him  in  the  thigh  ;  and  sore  hurt  with  all 
these  strokes,  he  was  borne  perforce  to  the 
earth.  Some  of  his  knights  and  squires  fol- 
lowed him,  but  not  all,  for  it  was  night,  and 
no  light  but  the  shining  of  the  moon.  The 
Englishmen  knew  well  that  they  had  borne 
one  down  to  the  earth,  but  they  thought 
not  who  it  was,  for  if  thej  had  known  that 
it  had  been  the  Earl  of  Douglas,  they  had 
been  thereof  so  joyful  and  so  proud  that  the 
victory  had  been  theirs.  Nor  did  the  Scots 
know  of  it  till  the  end  of  the  battle,  for  if 
they  had  known  of  it  they  would  have  been 
so  sore  dispirited  and  discouraged  that  they 
would  have  fled  away.  When  the  Earl  of 
Douglas  was  felled  to  the  earth,  he  was 
stricken  into  the  head  with  an  axe,  and 
another  stroke  through  the  thigh  ;  but  the 
Englishmen  passed  on  and  took  no  heed  of 
him  ;  they  thought  they  had  slain  only  a  com- 
mon man-at-arms. 

"  Douglas's  two  squires,  Robert  Hart  and 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.         41 

Simon  Glendinning,  and  Richard  Lundie, 
who,  although  a  churchman  and  the  earl's 
chaplain,  attended  him  in  the  battle,  had 
followed  him  close.  Hart  and  Glendin- 
ning were  slain  by  his  side  ;  and  when  his 
other  followers  came  up,  they  found  the 
chaplain  alone,  standing  over  the  body  of 
Douglas,  and  defending  him  with  a  long 
spear.  Sir  James  Lindsay  and  Sir  John 
and  Sir  Walter  Sinclair  were  among  the 
first  who  came  up.  l  How  fares  it,  cousin  ?' 
said  Sir  John  Sinclair.  <  But  badly,'  re- 
plied Douglas,  '  but  I  thank  God  few  of 
my  ancestors  have  died  in  their  beds.  Re- 
vege  my  death,  for  I  have  no  hope  of  life  ; 
my  heart  becomes  every  minute  more  faint ; 
raise  up  my  banner,  (for  it  had  fallen  with 
the  valiant  squire  David  Campbell  who  had 
borne  it,)  and  continue  to  shout  "  Douglas  !" 
but  do  not  tell  friend  or  foe  whether  I  am 
in  your  company  or  not ;  for  should  the 
truth  be  known,  the  enemy  will  be  greatly 
rejoiced,  and  our  friends  will  be  dishearten- 
ed.    There  is  an  old  prophecy,  that  a  dead 

3* 


42  THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

man  shall  gain  a  battle,  and  I  hope  this 
night  it  will  be  accomplished :' — and  with 
these  words  the  brave  earl  fell  back  and  ex- 
pired." 

"But  what  became  of  Hotspur,  uncle?" 
said  Henry  ;  "  was  he  killed  too,  like  Percy 
in  Chevy  Chace  ?" 

"  He  was  not  slain,"  replied  uncle  Rupert, 
"  but  was  taken  prisoner  by  lord  Montgome- 
ry, the  same  who  is  called  Sir  Hugh  Mont- 
gomery in  the  ballad ;  and  his  brother  Sir 
Ralph  was  terribly  wounded  and  taken  pris- 
oner also.  When  Douglas  rushed  into  the 
thickest  of  the  fight,  the  English  were  get- 
ting the  better  of  the  day,  or  rather  night, 
but  his  example  animated  his  followers,  who 
were  kept  in  ignorance  of  his  death  ;  and 
the  English,  who  now  felt  the  effects  of  their 
long  march,  gave  way  on  every  side.  Hot- 
spur had  a  long  fight  hand  to  hand  with 
Montgomery  before  he  was  taken.  Ralph, 
as  I  told  you,  was  desperately  wounded. 
He  was  obliged  to  surrender,  almost  faint- 
ing with  loss  of  blood.     Sir  John  Maxwell, 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.  43 

who  took  him,  asked  him  who  it  was,  for  it 
it  was  dark,  and  he  knew  him  not.  Sir 
Ralph  had  scarcely  strength  to  avow  his 
name,  but  he  rendered  himself  prisoner, 
and  begged  his  captor  to  take  some  care  of 
him,  for  his  drawers  and  iron  boots  were 
full  of  blood.  Just  then  a  body  of  Scot- 
tish troops  coming  up,  Sir  John  Maxwell 
gave  him  into  their  care,  and  they  bound 
up  and  stanched  his  wounds,  but  he  had  to 
pay  a  heavy  ransom  before  he  regained  his 
liberty.  His  captor  however  gave  him  leave 
to  return  to  Newcastle  to  get  his  wounds 
cured,  he  giving  his  word  to  surrender  him- 
self at  Edinburgh,  or  any  other  part  of  Scot- 
land, as  soon  as  he  should  be  able  to  mount 
a  horse,  there  to  remain  until  his  ransom 
was  paid. 

"  Of  all  the  English  knights  and  squires, 
none  of  any  note  escaped  from  the  field  of 
battle,  except  Sir  Matthew  Redman,  of 
whom  I  will  tell  you  some  more  presently ; 
but  I  must  stop  a  little  to  tell  you  what  Sir 
John  says  in  praise  of  both  Scotch  and  En- 


44         THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

glish,  and  of  the  noble  manner  in  which 
they  were  used  to  treat  their  prisoners  when 
they  could  resist  no  longer.  He  tells  us 
that  he  heard  from  both  parties  that  this 
battle  of  Otterbourne  was  one  of  the  hard- 
est and  most  obstinate  that  was  ever  fought. 
4  And  this,'  he  says,  '  I  readily  believe,  for 
the  English  and  Scots  are  excellent  men-at- 
arms,  and  whenever  they  meet  in  battle 
they  do  not  spare  each  other  ;  nor  is  there 
any  check  to  their  courage  so  long  as  their 
weapons  endure.  When  they  have  fought 
well,  and  one  party  is  victorious,  they  are  so 
proud  and  so  rejoiced  at  their  conquest  that 
they  ransom  their  prisoners  at  once,  and  in 
such  courteous  manner  to  those  who  have 
been  taken,  that  on  their  departure  they  re- 
turn them  their  thanks,  However,  when  in 
battle  there  is  no  boy's  play  between  them, 
nor  do  they  shrink  from  the  combat.5 

"»  Thus  it  was  after  the  battle  of  Otter-? 
bourne  ;  the  Scots  chased  the  English  for 
five  miles,  killing  and  taking  prisoners  all 
they  could  overtake ;  but  when  once  they 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.  45 

had  yielded  themselves  prisoners,  rescued 
or  not  rescued,  they  trusted  to  their  word, 
told  them  to  sit  down  and  disarm  them- 
selves, and  treated  them  as  if  they  had 
been  brothers  instead  of  enemies." 

"  That  was  very  noble  conduct,"  said 
Henry. 

"  It  was,"  replied  uncle  Rupert ;  "  but 
do  not  imagine  that  I  tell  you  these  stories 
to  make  you  fond  of  war ;  on  the  contrary, 
I  wish  to  make  you  aware  of  its  evils. 
The  Scots,  who  thought  they  had  cause  to 
complain  of  the  English,  certainly  did  them 
some  damage ;  for  besides  burning  and  spoil- 
ing in  Durham  and  Cumberland,  they  slew, 
or  took  prisoners,  one  thousand  and  forty 
men  on  the  field,  and,  in  the  pursuit,  eight 
hundred  and  forty,  besides  wounding  more 
than  a  thousand ;  and  they  received  con- 
siderable sums  for  the  ransom  of  their  pris- 
oners, although  in  this  point  they  behaved 
generously,  pressing  no  man  beyond  his 
means.  But  all  this  was  of  no  lasting  ad- 
vantage to   them ;    and   although   only   one 


46  THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

hundred  of  their  men  were  slain,  and  two 
hundred  taken  prisoners,  yet  they  had  lost 
the  Earl  of  Douglas,  one  of  the  noblest  and 
best  men  that  Scotland  possessed,  and  they 
had  increased  the  feeling  of  animosity  which 
existed  between  the  Scotch  and  English, 
and  their  success  at  Otterbourne  led  them 
twelve  years  after  to  attempt  a  similar  in- 
road, when  they  were  overtaken  at  Homel- 
don,  on  the  borders,  by  the  Earl  of  Nor- 
thumberland and  his  son  Hotspur,  totally 
defeated,  and  Archibald  Douglas,  the  bro- 
ther and  successor  of  the  Earl  who  died  at 
Otterbourne,  and  a  great  number  of  other 
noblemen  and  gentlemen,  were  taken  pris- 
oners.— It  is  not  to  make  you  rejoice  in 
scenes  of  blood  and  battle,  that  I  tell  you 
these  stories.  It  is  well  for  you  to  know 
that  such  things  have  been  and  are  still 
likely  to  be ;  for  until  the  world  is  much 
farther  advanced  in  true  knowledge  than  it 
is  at  present,  there  is  little  probability  of 
war  being  wholly  banished  from  the  earth. 
But  I  wish  you  to  observe  and  imitate  the 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.  47 

noble  conduct  which  was  exhibited  in  the 
midst  of  such  terrible  scenes.  Many  causes 
of  quarrel  existed  between  the  Scotch  and 
English.  As  Scotch  and  English  they 
laughed  at  each  other,  fought  with  each 
other,  and  even  hated  each  other.  But 
when  one  became  the  prisoner  of  the  other, 
all  the  national  causes  of  quarrel  were  for- 
gotten ;  the  yielding  of  the  prisoner  made 
his  captor  his  protector,  not  his  tyrant ; 
when  opposition  ceased,  enmity  was  at  an 
end  ;  they  acted  generously  by  each  other, 
and  showed  that,  although  enemies,  they  re- 
spected each  other  as  brave  and  honest  men. 
Such  conduct  is  that  which  distinguishes  the 
brave  man  who  openly  and  fairly  faces  his 
enemy,  from  the  base  coward,  who  seeks  to 
wreak  his  mean  revenge  in  the  dark." 

11  Dear  me,  uncle,"  said  Clara,  who  was 
rather  tired  by  this  long  discourse  upon  hon- 
our, "  you  have  forgotten  to  tell  us  about 
Sir  Matthew  Redman,  who  ran  away  ;  and 
did  really  the  poor  widows  come  next  day, 

1  Their  husbands  to  bewail, 
And  wash  their  wounds  in  brinish  tears  V 


48         THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

I  declare,  1  could  cry  now  to  think  of  it. 
How  shocking  to  see  the  poor  men  all 
stretched  out  on  the  grass  in  their  cold 
armour,  and  the  dewdrops  glittering  like 
tears,  but  none  near  to  raise  them  up  ?" 

"  Nay,  nay,  Clara,  it  was  not  so,"  said 
uncle  Rupert ;  "  they  were  not  left  un- 
buried  and  uncared  for.     Next  morn 


"  ' they  made  them  biers 

Of  birch  and  hazel  so  grey: 
Many  widows,-  with  weeping  tears, 
Came  to  fetch  their  mates  away.' 

"  The  Earl  of  Douglas,  and  his  two  faith- 
ful squires,  Robert  Hart  and  Simon  Glen- 
dinning,  were  inclosed  within  coffins,  which 
being  placed  on  cars,  the  Scotch  began 
their  march,  carrying  with  them  Sir  Hen- 
ry Percy,  and  upwards  of  forty  English 
knights.  They  carried  the  bodies  to  Mel- 
rose, which  was  an  abbey  of  Black  Monks 
on  the  borders  of  the  two  kingdoms.  There 
his  obsequies  were  very  reverently  per- 
formed on  the  second  day  after  their  arri- 
val.    His  body  was   placed   in  a   tomb  of 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.         49 

stone,   with    the    banner   of  Douglas    sus- 
pended over  it. 

"  When  the  Scots,  who  were  in  Cumber- 
land, heard  of  Douglas's  death,  they  griev- 
ed much  that  they  had  not  been  at  Otter- 
bourne  ;  but  the  news  dispirited  them,  and 
as  the  whole  country  was  now  arming,  they 
retreated  to  Scotland  before  any  thing  could 
be  attempted  against  them. — And  now, 
Clara,  I  will  tell  you  what  chanced  to  Sir 
Matthew  Redman.  When  he  perceived 
that  the  battle  was  lost,  he  turned  his 
horse's  head,  and  spurred  as  fast  as  he 
could  on  the  road  to  Newcastle.  He  was 
followed  close  by  Sir  James  Lindsay,  who 
galloped  after  him,  spear  in  hand,  and  came 
so  near,  that  he  might,  if  he  had  chosen, 
have  struck  him;  but  he  cried  out,  Ho! 
Sir  Knight,  turn  about !  it  is  disgraceful 
thus  to  fly.  I  am  James  Lindsay,  and  if 
you  do  not  turn,  I  will  drive  my  spear  into 
your  back."  Sir  Matthew  only  spurred  on 
the  faster,  and  thus  the  chase  lasted  for 
nine    miles,    when    Sir    Matthew's    horse 


50  THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

stumbling,  he  leaped  off,  drew  his  sword, 
and  put  himself  in  a  posture  of  defence. 
The  Scots  knight  made  a  thrust  at  him 
with  his  lance,  thinking  to  strike  him  on  the 
breast ;  but  Sir  Matthew  bounding  aside 
escaped  the  blow,  and  the  point  of  the 
lance  was  buried  in  the  ground.  Sir  Mat- 
thew now  stepped  forward,  and  with  his 
sword  cut  the  lance  in  two. 

"  Sir  James  Lindsay,  finding  he  had  lost 
his  lance,  flung  the  shaft  on  the  ground, 
and  dismounting,  grasped  his  battle-axe, 
which  was  slung  across  his  shoulder,  and 
attacked  Sir  Matthew.  They  pursued  each 
other  for  a  long  time,  one  with  the  battle- 
axe,  the  other  with  the  sword,  till  at  last 
Sir  Matthew,  who  was  quite  out  of  breath, 
cried  out,  '  Lindsay,  I  yield  myself.'  '  Res- 
cue, or  no  rescue  ?'  asked  Lindsay.  l  I 
agree,'  said  Redman ;  <  I  know  you  will 
treat  me  well.'  '  That  I  will,'  replied  his 
antagonist ;  *  and  now,  what  would  you 
wish  to  do  ?' — '  I  should  desire  to  go  on  to 
Newcastle    now,   and   I   pledge   myself  to 


f  i '  \  k 

%  Ma 


p 
< 

1-1 

a 

a 
p 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNL.  51 

come  to  you  within  fifteen  days,  in  any 
part  of  Scotland  you  like  to  name.'  'Agreed,' 
said  Sir  James,  '  provided  you  will  meet  me 
within  three  weeks,  at  Edinburgh,  and 
wherever  you  go  acknowledge  yourself  my 
prisoner.'  Then  each  sought  his  horse, 
and  taking  a  courteous  leave  of  each  other, 
they  rode  off  in  different  directions,  Sir 
James  turning  back  to  Otterbourne,  and 
Sir  Matthew  riding  on  to  Newcastle. 

"  I  told  you  Hotspur  had  bitter  reason  to 
regret  his  impatience  in  setting  out  in  such 
a  hurry,  for  that  very  evening  the  Bishop  of 
Durham,  and  full  seven  thousand  men  with 
him,  arrived  at  Newcastle.  Though  they 
had  had  a  fifteen-miles'  march  from  Dur- 
ham, they  determined  on  going  on  to  Otter- 
bourne  ;  but  they  had  not  advanced  far 
when  they  fell  in  with  the  fugitives  flying 
from  the  battle,  and  learnt  from  them  that 
all  was  lost.  Finding:  it  too  late  to  be  of 
any  service  in  helping  Hotspur,  they  thought 
it  best  to  return  to  Newcastle. 

"  When  Sir  James  Lindsay  left  Sir  Mat- 


52         THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE. 

thew  Redman,  the  night  had  fallen  very 
dark,  for  the  moon  had  gone  down,  and  Sir 
James,  who  was  unacquainted  with  the 
country,  lost  his  way,  and  on  a  sudden 
found  himself  in  the  midst  of  a  body  of 
armed  men.  He  had  fallen  in  with  the 
Bishop  of  Durham  and  his  followers  return- 
ing to  Newcastle ;  they  took  poor  Sir 
James  prisoner,  and  carried  him  along  with 
them.  In  the  morning  he  met  Sir  Mat- 
thew, who  was  surprised  to  see  him,  and 
wondered  what  had  brought  him  there, 
f  111  luck,'  said  Sir  James.  '  I  fell  in  with 
the  Bishop,  to  whom  I  am  a  prisoner,  as 
you  are  to  me.  Ah,  Sir  Matthew,  if  my 
captor  will  agree,  I  need  not  trouble  you  to 
come  to  Edinburgh.'  '  We  shall  find  no 
difficulty  in  arranging  our  exchange,  I 
doubt  not,'  said  Sir  Matthew ;  '  but  you 
must  come  and  dine  with  me  to-day,  and 
this  story  will  serve  us  to  laugh  at  for  many 
a  day  to  come.'  Thus  did  these  two  pris- 
oners enjoy  each  other's  company  in  New- 
castle, and  Sir  Matthew  had  no  occasion  to 


THE    BATTLE    OF    OTTERBOURNE.  53 

cross  the  borders,  for  the  bishop  gave  Sir 
James  his  liberty,  on  his  releasing  Sir  Mat- 
thew. 1  dare  say,  both  often  thought  of 
their  fight  on  the  road  to  Otterbourne;  and 
when  next  Sir  James  rode  in  the  dark,  he 
kept  a  better  look-out  lest  he  should  meet 
with  another  Bishop  of  Durham. 
"  And  now, — 

1  God  save  our  queen  and  bless  this  land 
With  plenty,  joy,  and  peace, 
And  grant  henceforth  that  foul  debate 
'Twixt  man  and  man  may  cease!'  " 


54  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 


SECOND   EVENING. 


THE  WARS  OF   GHENT. 

Flourishing  condition  of  Flanders — Jacob  Van  Artavelde — 
Origin  of  the  Troubles  in  Ghent — John  Lyon  establishes  the 
White-Hoods — Murder  of  the  Earl's  Bailiff,  and  destruction 
of  his  favourite  Country-house — War  between  the  Earl  and 
the  Ghent  Men — Peace  mediated  by  the  Duke  of  Burgundy — 
Recommencement  of  the  War — Siege  of  Ghent — Death  of 
John  de  Launoy. 

"  Dear  uncle,"  cried  Clara,  as  she  ran 
into  the  hall  to  meet  her  uncle,  who  stood 
there  shaking  off  the  snow  which  covered 
him,  (for  she  had  heard  his  well  known 
rap,)  "  Dear  uncle,  make  haste  and  take 
off  jour  great-coat  and  come  and  sit  down 
by  the  fireside.  I  have  put  your  chair  in  a 
nice  warm  corner,  and  I  have  a  pair  of 
papa's  slippers  all  ready  warmed  for  you, 
that  you  may  not  sit  down  in  your  damp 
shoes.  And  now,"  said  she,  looking  up 
laughingly  in  her  uncle's  face,  "  do  you 
know  what  I  expect  jou  to  do  for  taking  so 
much  care  of  you  ?" 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  55 

"  How  can  I  possibly  guess  ?"  said  uncle 
Rupert,  very  gravely,  as  he  took  his  seat 
in  the  easy  chair,  and  exchanged  his  shoes 
for  a  cosey  pair  of  soft  slippers.  But  Clara 
spied  a  twinkle  in  the  corner  of  his  eye, 
and  she  knew  that  uncle  Rupert  was  joking 
with  her. 

"  Oh  !  uncle,"  said  she,  "  I  am  sure  you 
know  well  enough,  only  you  won't  under- 
stand. I  want  you  to  do  something  that  I 
like  very  much  indeed." 

"  There,"  said  uncle  Rupert,  catching 
her  up  on  his  knee,  and  giving  her  three 
very  hearty  kisses.     "  Am  I  right  now  ?" 

"  Oh !  uncle,  uncle,"  said  Clara,  laugh- 
ing and  blushing,  "you  know  I  like  your 
kisses  very  much,  but  I  was  not  thinking 
of  them  then." 

"I'll  tell  you  what  she  was  thinking  of, 
uncle,"  said  Henry,  who  had  all  this  time 
been  sitting  very  quiet  on  the  other  side  of 
the  fire  ;  6  she  was  thinking  of  Sir  John 
Froissart  and  your  pretty  stories,  and  she 
wants  you  to  tell  us  another ;  and  so  do  I," 


56  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

he  continued,  getting  up,  and  looking  his 
uncle  full  in  the  face,  very  earnestly. 
"  Pray  do,  uncle ;  it  makes  the  time  pass 
so  quickly  by  the  fireside  ;  it  makes  me  for- 
get all  the  frost  and  snow  out  of  doors,  and 
I  really  believe  I  shall  not  once  think  of  my 
new  skates  that  are  coming  home  to-mor- 
row." 

"Well,  my  dear,"  said  uncle  Rupert, 
"  since  my  stories  find  so  much  favour,  I 
will  go  on  with  pleasure ;  so  now,  Clara, 
bring  your  little  stool  and  sit  down  by  my 
side  ;  and  you,  Henry,  draw  in  your  chair  ; 
and  now,  if  mamma,  who  sits  so  silent  at 
her  work-table,  will  not  object  to  our  chat- 
tering, I  will  tell  you  of  the  wars  of  Ghent, 
and  the  history  of  Philip  Van  Artavelde, 
the  brewer's  son." 

"  My  dear  brother,"  said  mamma,  look- 
ing up  from  her  work,  "  I  listened  last  night 
to  your  account  of  the  battle  of  Otterbourne, 
and  I  really  felt  much  interested,  though  I 
said  nothing  ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  I  shall 
have  pleasure  in  hearing  you  this  evening  ; 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  57 

for  though  you  see  I  am  very  busy,  yet  the 
ears  may  be  open  while  the  fingers  are  at 
work.  A  poor  neighbour  of  mine  expects 
a  little  baby  every  day,  and  I  am  making 
all  the  haste  I  can  to  get  ready  some  warm 
clothes  to  shield  it  from  this  bitter  weather. 
Now,  I  think  Clara  can  help  me  and  listen 
to  you  too,  for  I  know  she  loves  to  be  use- 
ful, and  would  be  sorry  for  the  poor  little 
baby  to  be  born  before  its  comfortable 
clothes  are  ready  for  it." 

"  Oh  I  am  ready  to  help  you  mamma," 
cried  Clara,  "  and  I  can  sit  here  at  uncle 
Rupert's  feet  and  work  nicely." 

"  Well,  ladies,"  said  uncle  Rupert,  "  your 
work  does  you  honour,  for  to  help  one  an- 
other is  the  Christian's  pride  ;  but  before 
I  begin,  I  must  bargain  that  I  shall  not  be 
interrupted,  as  is  too  often  the  case  when 
reading  and  work  go  on  together.  If  one 
piece  of  work  cannot  go  on  without  a  con- 
sultation it  should  be  laid  aside  and  another 
taken  up  ;    for  we  should  always  recollect 

4 


58  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT, 

that  we  have  no  right  to  incommode  other 
people  if  we  can  possibly  avoid  it." 

"  You  are  rather  hard  upon  us  industri- 
ous workwomen,"  said  mamma,  laughing : 
"  but  if  you  will  give  us  a  few  minutes  be- 
fore you  begin,  we  will  try  and  behave  very 
prettily." 

So  mamma  gave  Clara  her  work,  and 
showed  her  precisely  how  to  do  it ;  and  as 
Clara  was  an  attentive  little  girl,  and  did 
not  forget  what  she  had  been  told,  I  am 
happy  to  say  that  neither  scissors,  thimbles, 
needles,  nor  thread  ever  went  astray,  and 
that  there  was  no  need  of  a  stop  to  settle 
hemmings,  foldings,  plaitings,  cuttings,  slash- 
ings, or  gorings,  or  any  other  mysteries  of 
the  work-table,  till  uncle  Rupert  came  to  an 
end.  When  every  thing  had  been  settled 
between  Clara  and  mamma,  Clara  estab- 
lished herself  snugly  on  her  stool,  and  uncle 
Rupert  thus  took  up  his  tale : 

"  Flanders,  that  country  which  is  now 
known  by  the  name  of  Belgium,  possesses 
a  very  fertile  soil,  and  was  very  early  dis- 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  59 

tinguished  for  the  excellence  of  its  manu- 
factures, especially  of  cloth.  The  towns  of 
Ghent  and  Bruges  took  the  lead  of  all  the 
others,  and  were  very  rich  and  populous. 
The  former  had  an  advantage  over  Bruges 
in  being  able  to  communicate  directly  with 
the  sea,  by  means  of  the  rivers  Lys  and 
Scheldt,  which  flowed  on  two  sides  of  it; 
and  the  inhabitants  were  excessively  jealous 
of  the  other  towns,  Bruges  in  particular,  and 
did  all  they  could  to  prevent  their  partaking 
of  the  benefits  of  this  navigation,  which 
they  wished  to  keep  entirely  to  themselves. 
This  caused  frequent  quarrels  ;  and,  indeed, 
the  inhabitants  of  all  the  Flemish  towns 
were  somewhat  turbulent  and  unruly.  This 
may  be  accounted  for,  when  we  consider 
the  extraordinary  degree  of  liberty  pos- 
sessed by  the  towns,  and  the  inefficient 
manner  in  which  they  were  governed. 

"  The  events  I  shall  relate  to  you  occurred 
in  the  year  1379,  and  the  six  succeeding 
years.  At  that  period  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  open  country,  and  those  of  almost  all 


60  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

the  towns,  were  directly  subject  to  their 
lords,  and  possessed  little  security  in  the 
laws,  for  person  or  property.  But  in  those 
cities  which  had,  by  means  of  trade,  become 
wealthy  and  populous,  a  greater  degree  of 
liberty  was  generally  enjoyed.  The  advan- 
tages produced  to  the  country  in  general,  by 
an  increased  trade,  were  so  great,  that  the 
lords  of  such  towns,  whether  kings,  dukes, 
earls,  or  barons,  found  it  their  interest  to 
do  all  in  their  power  to  induce  their  subjects 
to  engage  in  and  extend  it.  For  this  pur- 
pose, they  granted  various  privileges  to  the 
inhabitants  of  trading  towns,  which  were 
not  enjoyed  by  their  other  subjects.  They 
were  frequently  allowed  to  choose  their  own 
magistrates,  and  the  authority  of  their  lords' 
officers  was  restricted  from  being  exerted 
within  their  bounds ;  they  were  often  re- 
lieved from  taxes,  and  imposts  on  goods 
brought  from  abroad ;  and  sometimes  had 
power  granted  to  levy  imposts  on  their  own 
account,  on  strangers  visiting  them.  When 
they  grew  rich,  they  frequently  gave  large 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  61 

sums  of  money  to  their  lords  to  be  relieved 
from  such  taxes  or  imposts  as  he  had  been 
accustomed  to  levy  ;  and  1  have  seen  among 
the  charters  of  one  of  the  chief  of  our  ports, 
the  records  of  repeated  purchases  from  the 
king,  until  at  last  the  citizens  had  bought 
up  almost  every  impost  that  he  had  been 
accustomed  to  levy.  When  the  citizens 
bought  up  these  imposts,  they  usually  ceased 
to  levy  them  upon  members  of  their  own 
body,  but  continued  to  make  strangers  pay 
them." 

"  But,  uncle,"  said  Henry,  "did  they  ever 
take  them  from  one  another  ?  That  is  like 
taking  their  own  money  and  paying  it  back 
to  themselves ;  taking  it  out  of  one  pocket 
to  put  it  into  another,  as  1  once  heard  papa 
say.     I  dori't  understand  it." 

"  You  do  not  reflect,  Henry,"  said  uncle 
Rupert,  "  that  when  the  lord  gave  up  the 
government  of  a  town  to  its  inhabitants,  he 
was  no  longer  to  be  called  on  to  provide  of- 
ficers to  keep  it  in  order,  or  to  repair  the 
walls  and  streets,  or,  if  it  was  a  seaport,  to 


62  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

keep  the  quays  in  a  proper  state.  All  these 
expenses  then  fell  immediately  upon  the 
citizens ;  and  if  they  could  not  raise  money 
enough  by  taxing  strangers,  then  they  were 
obliged  to  tax  themselves.  They  were  gen- 
erally, in  those  days,  too  much  inclined  to 
lay  the  whole  burden  upon  strangers,  and  in 
the  end  lost  by  it  themselves,  by  driving 
them  away.  But  I  cannot  go  further  into 
this  subject  now,  for  I  am  afraid  we  should 
soon  get  out  of  your  depth.  You  and  I  run 
into  such  grave  discussions,  that  I  am  afraid 
we  have  tired  Clara  already. 

"At  the  period  I  have  mentioned,  1379, 
manufactures  were  carried  on  more  success- 
fully in  Flanders  than  in  any  other  part  of 
the  world.  The  people  were  in  general 
very  well  off;  the  country  was  fertile,  the 
towns  rich ;  they  all  possessed  some  privi- 
leges, and  Ghent  in  particular  was  almost 
entirely  self-governed,  and  nearly  indepen- 
dent of  its  lord,  the  Earl  of  Flanders.  But, 
as  I  mentioned  just  now,  the  towns  were 
jealous  of  one  another ;  they  did  not  man- 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  63 

age  their  own  internal  government  well,  and 
there  were  continual  quarrels  between  the 
rich  and  the  poor  citizens  ;  and,  to  add  to 
the  distraction  of  the  country,  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  towns  bore  a  deadly  hatred  to 
the  knights  and  barons,  who  exercised  upon 
their  estates  all  the  oppressive  power  from 
which  the  citizens  had  been  freed.  The 
sight  of  this  displeased  them  ;  but  they  felt 
most  keenly  the  scorn  with  which  the  high- 
born noble  looked  down  on  the  citizen,  who, 
although  perhaps  rich  enough  to  buy  up  the 
estates  of  ten  nobles,  was  still  a  trader,  and 
one  who  knew  not  how  to  back  a  horse,  or 
wield  a  lance  in  a  tournament. 

"  It  is  no  wonder  that  in  such  a  state  of 
things  peace  was  continually  disturbed  ;  and 
so  far  was  this  turbulent  spirit  carried,  that 
about  forty  years  before  the  time  I  am 
speaking  of,  all  Flanders  had  risen  against 
their  lord,  the  father  of  the  present  earl, 
had  driven  him  from  their  dominions,  and 
then,  wonderful  to  relate,  had  submitted 
peaceably  for  seven  years  to  the  despotic 


64  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

rule  of  a  very  remarkable  man,  a  private 
citizen  of  Ghent,  who  had  formerly  been  a 
brewer  of  metheglin,  a  sort  of  beer  sweet- 
ened with  honey.  His  name  was  Jacob 
Van  Artavelde ;  and,  by  and  by,  I  shall 
have  something  to  tell  you  of  his  son.  As 
long  as  Van  Artavelde  retained  his  power, 
he  received  implicit  obedience  from  both 
town  and  country  ;  he  collected  all  the  reve- 
nues that  were  due  to  the  earl,  and  lived  in 
a  state  of  almost  princely  magnificence, 
never  going  out  without  a  splendid  retinue. 
He  was  a  great  friend  of  King  Edward  III., 
and  persuaded  the  Flemings  to  assist  him 
when  he  first  invaded  France,  and  he  did 
every  thing  he  could  to  keep  up  a  close  alli- 
ance between  England  and  Flanders.  In 
this  he  was  wise,  for  both  countries  profited 
much  by  the  trade  between  them  ;  but  his 
attachment  to  the  English  carried  him  at  last 
rather  too  far.  He  undertook  to  make  the 
Flemings  renounce  their  rightful  lord  alto- 
gether, and  to  give  the  country  to  the  Black 
Prince,  and  make   him  Earl  of  Flanders. 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  65 

The  Ghent  men  resented  this  deeply  ;  and 
when  Jacob  Van  Artavelde  returned  home, 
they  surrounded  his  house,  dragged  him  out, 
and  murdered  him.  After  his  death  the 
Flemings  returned  to  their  obedience ;  re- 
called the  young  earl,  (for  his  father  had 
died  wThile  Van  Artavelde  was  yet  alive,) 
and  up  to  the  date  of  my  story  they  had 
lived  in  peace;  for,  says  Sir  John,  'the  earl 
was  wise  and  prudent,  and  carefully  avoided 
encouraging  a  war  between  his  vassals.' 

"But  notwithstanding  the  earl's  wisdom, 
he  was  deficient  in  that  highest  wisdom 
which  renders  men  good ;  and  a  wicked 
action  brought  great  and  deserved  troubles 
upon  him,  and  afflicted  his  unhappy  coun- 
try for  many  years.  There  was  a  certain 
citizen  of  Ghent,  named  John  Lyon,  who 
was  a  great  favourite  with  the  earl.  He 
was  possessed  of  very  great  abilities ;  was 
cool  and  determined  in  action ;  of  un- 
daunted bravery,  and  of  an  enterprising 
and  ambitious  character.  The  earl  having 
conceived  a  deadly  hatred  against  another 

4* 


66  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

citizen  of  Ghent,  for  some  cause  which  I 
am  ignorant  of,  meanly  employed  John 
Lyon  to  pick  a  quarrel  with  him  and  slay 
him. 

"  John  Lyon,  who  was  not  troubled  with 
any  scruples  of  conscience,  did  his  lord's 
bidding.  He  soon  found,  or  made  an  occa- 
sion of  quarrel — fought  with,  and  killed 
his  antagonist ;  and,  as  a  punishment,  was 
deprived  of  every  thing  he  had  in  the  city 
of  Ghent,  and  was  banished  from  it  for 
four  years ;  and  during  the  greater  part 
of  this  time  he  lived  in  very  good  style  at 
Douay,  the  earl  paying  all  his  expenses. 
When  the  term  of  his  banishment  was 
over,  the  earl  interested  himself  so  much 
for  him,  that  he  obtained  his  restoration  to 
the  freedom  of  Ghent,  a  thing  never  before 
heard  of,  and  obtained  him  the  appoint- 
ment of  Deacon  of  the  Pilots,  an  office 
which  brought  him  a  considerable  yearly 
revenue." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  Deacon  of  the 
Pilots,  uncle  ?"  said  Clara. 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  67 

"  I  will  explain  it  to  you,"  said  uncle 
Rupert.  "  Every  man  who  carried  on  any 
trade  in  the  Flemish  towns  was  obliged  to 
join  himself  in  a  company,  guild,  or  fra- 
ternity, as  they  sometimes  called  it,  with 
those  who  carried  on  the  same  trade,  and 
was  not  allowed  to  buy  and  sell  as  he 
pleased,  but  was  obliged  to  conform  to  the 
rates  settled  by  his  companions ;  each 
trade  chose  a  leader  or  governor,  and  some- 
times two  or  three,  who  were  variously 
called  wardens,  masters,  or  deacons ;  and 
for  the  government  of  the  town  these 
heads  of  the  trades,  or  crafts,  as  they  were 
often  called,  met  together  at  the  town 
council,  and  one  chosen  from  among  them, 
and  called  the  mayor  or  provost,  presided 
over  all,  and  was  the  chief  man  of  the  town. 
The  masters  or  deacons  of  the  crafts  col- 
lected the  taxes  and  imposts  due  by  their 
companies  or  fraternities,  and  were  paid 
for  the  trouble  they  took  in  keeping  all  in 
good  order.  It  appears  that  in  Ghent  the 
earl  possessed  the  power  of  appointing  the 


68  THE    WARS    OP    GHENT. 

deacons  of  the  crafts.  The  pilots  included 
the  whole  body  of  sailors  belonging  to 
Ghent,  who  were  employed  in  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  Lys  and  Scheldt. 

"  There  was  at  this  time  a  man  in 
Ghent,  named  Gilbert  Matthew,  who  bore 
a  great  hatred  to  John  Lyon,  on  account 
of  a  family  quarrel,  and  he  formed  a  cun- 
ning scheme  to  ruin  him.  Contriving  to 
get  an  interview  with  the  earl,  who  was 
at  that  time  residing  in  Ghent,  he  told  him 
that  if  John  Lyon  chose  to  exert  himself, 
the  earl's  revenue  might  be  much  increas- 
ed by  levying  a  tax  on  the  pilots,  who 
then  paid  nothing  to  him.  The  earl  sent 
for  John  Lyon,  who  said  he  thought  it 
would  be  too  hard  on  the  pilots ;  but  as  the 
earl  commanded  him  strictly,  he  called  the 
fraternity  together  to  propose  the  subject 
to  them,  when  who  should  appear  among 
the  chief  opposers  of  the  proposition  but 
Gilbert  Matthew  and  his  six  brothers,  all 
of  whom  were  pilots ;  and  their  represen- 
tations were  so  strong,  that  %he  whole  as- 


,,rf#l& 


IN 

fill?" 
11- 


•:     ■:  V.'  \M    ■;  ■  ■  i', 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  69 

sembly,  with  one  voice,  said  they  could  not 
bear  the  tax.  John  Lyon  was  glad  to  see 
this,  for  he  disapproved  of  the  earl's  con- 
duct, and  he  went  to  him  and  advised  him 
to  give  up  his  intention.  But  the  cunning 
Gilbert  Matthew  went  soon  after  to  the 
earl,  and  told  him  it  was  all  John  Lyon's 
fault,  and  that  if  he  had  been  deacon,  he 
would  have  brought  the  pilots  to  consent. 
The  earl  was  so  eager  for  the  money,  that 
he  turned  out  his  old  friend  John  Lyon, 
and  put  Matthew  in  his  place,  who,  by  the 
help  of  his  six  brothers,  who  had  great  in- 
fluence with  the  pilots,  got  them  to  con- 
sent to  the  tax,  and  thus  he  kept  his  word 
with  the  earl. 

"John  Lyon  kept  himself  very  quiet, 
but  he  was  all  the  while  secretly  medita- 
ting how  he  should  revenge  himself  on  the 
earl  and  Gilbert  Matthew ;  and  he  had  not 
long  to  wait  before  he  found  an  oppor- 
tunity. I  have  told  you  how  jealous  the 
men  of  Ghent  were  of  the  navigation  of 
the  Lys  and   Scheldt,   and  how  they  en- 


70  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

deavoured  to  prevent  the  other  cities  from 
enjoying  that  advantage  on  equal  terms 
with  themselves.  Now  the  people  of 
Bruges  had  formed  a  plan  of  connecting 
their  town  with  the  Lys  by  a  canal,  and 
thus  placing  themselves  on  an  equal  foot- 
ting,  as  to  freedom  of  navigation,  with  the 
men  of  Ghent ;  and  they  sent  out  five 
hundred  labourers,  who  worked  night  and 
day  to  form  this  canal.  When  news  of 
this  was  brought  to  Ghent,  the  people 
were  very  angry,  and  many  began  to 
murmur  against  Gilbert  Matthew,  and  to 
say,  that  if  John  Lyon  had  been  deacon 
of  the  pilots,  the  people  of  Bruges  would 
not  have  dared  to  make  the  attempt.  It 
does  not  appear  that  Matthew  was  really 
in  fault,  or  had  neglected  the  interest  of  his 
fraternity  ;  but  when  any  thing  goes  wrong, 
people  are  always  inclined  to  grumble 
against  those  who  are  above  them,  and 
lay  all  the  blame  on  them  whether  they 
deserve  it  or  not.  A  number  of  the  discon- 
tented citizens  now  repaired  to  John  Lyon's 


THE    WARS    OF  £HENT.  71 

house  to  ask  his  advice  in  the  matter,  and 
how  they  should  act.  John  Lyon  was 
secretly  very  much  rejoiced  at  this,  but  he 
pretended  to  be  unwilling  to  interfere,  or 
give  any  advice.  All  this  he  did  to  make 
himself  appear  of  more  consequence ;  as 
one  who  was  unwillingly  forced  to  act  by 
his  fellow-citizens,  who  could  do  nothing 
without  him.  At  last,  after  a  great  deal 
of  pressing,  he  reminded  the  people  that 
in  former  times,  when  upon  any  disturb- 
ance the  people  had  risen  in  arms,  it  had 
been  the  custom  for  all  those  engaged  to 
wear  white  hoods,  that  they  might  know 
one  another  in  the  crowd,  and  more  easily 
keep  close  together,  or  again  collect  if 
they  were  dispersed.  'My  advice,  there- 
fore, is,'  said  he,  i  that,  in  the  first  place,  all 
those  who  are  determined  to  oppose  this 
attempt  of  the  men  of  Bruges  should  put 
on  white  hoods  and  choose  a  leader.5  This 
proposal  was  received  with  great  ap- 
plause, and  white  hoods  were  presently 
made  and  distributed  to  those  '  who,'  says 


72  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

Sir  John,  '  loved  war  better  than  peace, 
and  had  nothing  to  lose.'  John  Lyon  was 
chosen  their  leader,  and  he  marched  out 
at  the  head  of  two  hundred  i  such  people 
as  preferred  noting  to  quiet,'  to  attack 
the  men  of  Bruges,  who  were  at  work 
upon  the  canal. 

"  Nobody  attempted  to  interfere  with 
them  in  Ghent,  for  the  enterprise  they 
went  upon  was  very  pleasing  to  the  citi- 
zens, and  no  suspicion  was  entertained 
that  they  meant  to  attempt  any  thing  fur- 
ther. One  man  alone  appears  to  have 
had  any  idea  of  John  Lyon's  real  design 
for  raising  these  white-hoods,  and  to  have 
had  the  sense  to  see  that  it  mi^ht  be  a  dif- 
ficult  thing  to  disperse  such  a  set,  being, 
as  they  were,  all  the  most  desperate  idle 
fellows  in  the  city,  who  had  nothing  to 
lose.  This  was  Stephen,  one  of  Gilbert 
Matthew's  brothers.  He  had  always  been 
suspicious  of  John  Lyon,  and  had  once  be- 
fore advised  his  brother  to  have  him  as- 
sassinated, but  Gilbert  had  refused.     Ste- 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  73 

phen  now  again  warned  Gilbert  of  the 
danger ;  but  he  only  laughed  at  it,  and 
said,  if  the  white-hoods  proved  trouble- 
some, it  was  but  to  send  to  the  earl,  and 
he  would  put  them  down  easily.  But 
Gilbert  was  sadly  mistaken. 

"  When  John  Lyon  and  his  men  arrived 
at  the  place  where  the  men  of  Bruges  had 
been  at  work,  they  found  them  all  gone — 
fled  away  in  a  fright  to  Bruges — so  they 
returned  to  Ghent,  and  separated  each  man 
to  his  own  home.  But  John  Lyon  told 
them  not  to  lay  aside  their  white  hoods,  for 
there  soon  would  be  more  for  them  to  do ; 
and  some  he  told  privately  to  eat  and  drink 
as  much  as  they  liked  at  the  inns  and  tav- 
erns, and  not  to  heed  the  expense,  for  there 
were  those  who  should  pay  their  score, 
who  now  would  not  give  them  a  farthing. 

"  Circumstances  seemed  to  favour  John 
Lyon's  design ;  for  within  a  week  from  the 
expedition  against  the  men  of  Bruges,  the 
earl's  bailiff  gave  great  offence  by  arresting 
a  man  of  Ghent,  and  confining  him  in  the 


74  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

earl's  prison,  instead  of  sending  him  to  the 
city  prison,  which  was  against  their  privi- 
leges ;  and  when  the  magistrates  remon- 
strated, he  made  an  insolent  answer.  More- 
over, the  burdens  that  had  been  imposed 
on  the  pilots  proved  so  hurtful  to  the  trade 
of  the  town,  that  many  cities  that  had  been 
used  to  trade  with  Ghent  began  to  talk  of 
sending  their  goods  there  no  more,  which 
would  have  nearly  ruined  Ghent.  The 
number  of  white- hoods  every  day  increas- 
ed, and  John  Lyon  never  went  abroad 
without  being  attended  by  two  or  three 
hundred  of  them.  He  frequently  made 
speeches  to  the  people,  and  pretended  to 
regret  that  the  earl  had  turned  so  much 
against  them.  He  said  it  was  manifest  he 
encouraged  the  people  of  Bruges,  for  he 
was  living  there  when  they  attempted  to 
cut  the  canal,  and  they  had  promised  him 
a  large  sum  of  money  if  he  would  procure 
for  them  the  freedom  of  navigation  on  the 
Lys.  Then  he  talked  about  the  citizen 
imprisoned  at  Eccloo,  and  the  injury  done 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  75 

the  trade  of  the  town  by  the  impost  on  the 
pilots,  lamenting  all  the  while  that  the  earl 
should  be  so  ill  advised,  and  saying  how 
desirable  it  was  to  be  on  good  terms  with 
their  lords.  Then  he  proposed  that  some 
of  the  citizens  should  go  to  the  earl,  and  he 
contrived  that  Gilbert  Matthew  should  be 
one  of  them ;  for  he  thought  the  earl  would 
send  an  ungracious  answer,  and  that  by 
throwing  all  the  blame  on  Gilbert  Matthew 
he  might  ruin  him. 

"But  Gilbert  was  as  cunning- as  John, 
and  by  his  advice  the  earl  granted  every 
thing  that  was  desired,  and  sent  back  the 
prisoner  who  was  detained  at  Eccloo.  But 
now  that  he  had  done  every  thing  they  de- 
sired, he  begged  that  they  would  lay  aside 
their  white  hoods,  which  was  looked  on  as 
dangerous  to  the  peace  of  the  city. 

"  John  Lyon  upon  this  made  a  speech  to 
the  people,  and  told  them  that  it  was  very 
plain  that  unless  they  had  taken  up  the 
white  hoods  they  would  never  have  gained 
what  they  required,  and  that  as  they  had 


76  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

proved  so  useful,  it  would  be  foolish  to  lay 
them  aside.  The  people  said  he  had 
spoken  well,  and  they  would  take  his  ad- 
vice. But  John  suspected  that  Gilbert  had 
been  playing  a  treacherous  part,  and  this  it 
was  that  made  him  desirous  of  keeping  up 
the  white-hoods ;  and  he  was  in  the  right, 
for  the  earl  had  arranged  with  Matthew  to 
send  a  body  of  men  to  arrest  John  Lyon 
and  the  chief  leaders  of  the  white-hoods, 
and  carry  them  to  the  castle  of  Ghent  and 
cut  their  heads  off. 

"  Accordingly,  not  long  after  Matthew's 
return,  the  bailiff  of  Ghent,  Roger  d'Au- 
tuerme,  accompanied  by  two  hundred  men, 
rode  into  the  market-place  of  Ghent,  and 
planted  the  earl's  banner  before  him.  Gil- 
bert Matthew  and  his  brothers,  and  the 
deacons  of  the  small  crafts,  who  had  made 
common  cause  with  them,  immediately 
waited  on  him  to  arrange  the  arrest  of  John 
Lyon  and  his  friends.  But  John  Lyon  had 
had  notice  of  the  bailiff's  arrival,  and  of  his 
errand,  and  had  summoned  all  his  white- 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  77 

hoods  to  assemble ;  and  at  the  head  of 
about  four  hundred  of  them  he  marched  to 
the  market-place,  seized  on  the  bailiff, 
threw  him  on  the  ground,  and  slew  him, 
whilst  the  banner  of  the  earl  was  dragged 
through  the  dirt  and  torn  in  pieces.  The 
Matthews  and  the  deacons  of  the  small 
crafts  fled  the  moment  they  saw  the  white- 
hoods,  and  hastened  out  of  town  with  all 
their  families  ;  and  the  whole  passed  so 
suddenly,  that  the  soldiers  had  no  time  to 
rescue  their  leader ;  and  being  terrified 
at  the  sight  of  so  many  enemies  appearing 
on  a  sudden,  (for  they  had  marched  into  the 
market-place  through  the  by-streets  to 
avoid  observation,)  they  turned  their  horses' 
heads  and  rode  off  without  striking  a  stroke. 
John  Lyon  and  his  men  next  went  to 
search  for  the  Matthews,  but  they  had  all 
gone  away  in  time  ;  but  their  houses  were 
plundered  and  afterwards  pulled  down, 
and  so  entirely  destroyed,  that  not  a  stone 
remained  to  show  where  they  had  stood. 
"  John  Lyon  had  now  pretty  well  re- 


78  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

venged  himself  on  the  Matthews ;  but  still 
he  was  not  satisfied,  since  he  had  not 
jet  given  the  earl  a  sufficient  return  for 
the  ill  offices  he  had  received  from  him. 

"  None  of  the  citizens  of  Ghent  had  in- 
terfered to  check  the  outrageous  conduct 
of  the  white-hoods,  and,  indeed,  it  was 
openly  said  that  they  even  received  en- 
couragement from  some  of  the  magistrates 
and  other  chief  men  of  the  town.  But 
many  of  the  richest  citizens,  who  were 
very  desirous  of  peace,  and  well  knew 
how  much  they  should  suffer  if  these  dis- 
turbances continued,  were  very  uneasy ; 
and  at  length  it  was  agreed  that  twelve 
of  the  most  respectable  of  the  inhabitants 
should  go  to  the  earl  and  solicit  pardon  for 
the  murder  of  the  bailiff,  and  endeavour  to 
prevent  the  earl  from  making  war  upon 
them  on  that  account. 

"  When  the  deputies  had  left  the  city 
John  Lyon  called  the  people  together,  and 
told  them  that  as  it  was  very  doubtful  if  the 
earl  would  grant  them  peace,  it  would  be 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  79 

only  prudent  in  them  to  be  prepared  for 
the  worst ;  therefore,  he  proposed,  that  all 
the  citizens  who  could  bear  arms  should 
assemble  the  next  day  in  the  fields  out- 
side the  city,  that  the  state  of  their  wea- 
pons might  be  examined,  and  themselves 
arranged  in  companies  under  proper  offi- 
cers, so  as  to  be  quite  ready  to  act  if  called 
upon. 

"  John  Lyon  came  out  and  reviewed 
them,  and  then  proposed  that  they  should 
all  go  to  a  beautiful  country-house  be- 
longing to  the  earl,  which  stood  not  far 
from  the  place  of  their  assembly  ;  for  he 
said  he  understood  it  was  full  of  warlike 
stores  and  provisions,  which  might  oc- 
casion great  damage  to  them  if  Ghent 
were  attacked  ;  he,  therefore,  thought  it 
would  be  wise  if  they  secured  these. 
Away  they  all  went,  pillaged  the  house 
from  top  to  bottom,  and  when  they  were 
going  away  set  it  on  fire.  John  Lyon  pre- 
tended to  be  very  angry  at  this  ;  but  in 
truth  he  was  much   pleased,  for  now  that 


80  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

not  only  the  white-hoods,  but  the  whole 
people  of  Ghent  had  been  concerned  in 
such  an  outrage,  he  thought  the  earl  would 
never  forgive  them,  and  that  he,  John 
Lyon,  should  be  the  sole  governor  of  the 
city,  and  perhaps  of  all  Flanders,  as  Jacob 
Van  Artavelde  had  been  before,  which 
was  what  he  most  desired. 

"  The  earl  had  received  the  deputies  of 
Ghent  very  graciously,  and  had  just  prom- 
ised to  pardon  them,  when  he  received 
the  news  of  the  destruction  of  his  house, 
which  was  his  favourite  place  of  residence, 
and  on  which  he  had  expended  very  large 
sums  of  money.  He  was  exceedingly 
enraged,  and  sent  away  the  deputies,  de- 
claring he  would  never  make  peace  with 
them  until  all  the  offenders  were  delivered 
up.  He  then  summoned  all  his  knights 
and  vassals  to  assist  him  in  punishing  the 
rebellious  town  of  Ghent. 

"  John  Lyon  now  found  every  thing  ac- 
cording to  his  wishes.  No  hopes  remained 
of  pacifying  the  earl,  and  he  was,  by  com- 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  81 

mon  consent,  made  the  leader  of  the  whole 
city.  The  first  thing  he  recommended 
was  to  oblige  or  persuade  the  other  Flem- 
ish towns  to  make  common  cause  with 
Ghent  against  the  earl.  With  this  purpose 
he  marched  with  a  large  body  of  armed 
men  to  Bruges.  They  were  at  first  refused 
admittance,  but  upon  threatening  to  break 
open  the  gates,  the  inhabitants  let  them 
in,  and  agreed  to  remain  good  friends  and 
neighbours  with  the  men  of  Ghent,  and 
to  assist  them  in  all  things  against  the 
earl.  From  thence  he  went  to  the  town 
of  Damme ;  but  there  he  was  cut  short 
in  the  midst  of  his  apparent  prosperity. 
One  evening  he  had  been  supping  very 
joyously  in  company  with  the  ladies  of 
Damme,  but  in  the  night  he  was  taken 
exceedingly  ill.  He  wished  to  be  carried 
home  to  Ghent,  but  his  bearers  could  not 
bring  him  further  than  a  village  a  short 
way  on  the  road,  where  he  died.  His 
body  swelled  terribly  after  his  death,  and 
it  was  supposed    that    he    was    poisoned. 

5 


82  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

He  was  taken  to  Ghent,  where  he  was 
buried  in  the  Church  of  St.  Nicholas,  with 
as  much  solemnity  as  if  he  had  been 
Earl  of  Flanders. 

"  But  as  John  Lyon's  death  did  not  put 
an  end  to  the  war,  the  men  of  Ghent 
considered  that  they  could  not  long  re- 
main without  leaders.  The  deacons  of  the 
trades  and  the  guards  of  the  gates  selected, 
according  to  their  opinion,  four  of  the  most 
courageous  and  enterprising  for  their  com- 
manders, whose  names  were  John  Pruni- 
aux,  John  Boule,  Rasse  de  Harzelle,  and 
Peter  du  Bois.  Under  these  leaders,  the 
men  of  Ghent,  assisted  by  those  of  Bruges, 
Ypres,  and  some  other  towns,  carried  on 
regular  war  against  the  earl,  and  besieged 
the  town  of  Oudenarde,  where  a  great  num- 
ber of  barons,  knights  and  squires,  were 
completely  shut  up. 

"  This  war  did  so  much  injury  to  the 
country  that  the  earl  was  very  desirous 
of  peace,  and  the  men  of  Bruges  and  Ypres 
began  to  wish  for  it  also,  especially  as  the 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  83 

winter  was  now  coming  on.  The  Duke 
of  Burgundy,  who  had  married  the  earl's 
daughter,  interposed,  and  by  his  means  a 
peace  was  concluded.  The  earl  promised 
to  forgive  every  thing,  and  to  return  in  a 
friendly  manner  to  Ghent,  there  to  reside, 
and,  let  what  would  happen,  never  to  re- 
member the  past ;  and  the  Ghent  men 
and  their  allies,  promised  to  acknowledge 
their  lord  with  respect,  and  to  attempt  no 
more  against  him,  and  within  a  year  to  re- 
build the  earl's  house  which  they  had 
burned.  It  was  also  agreed  that  the 
walls  of  Oudenarde  should  be  thrown 
down;  but  this  was  not  just  then  insisted 
on  by  the  Flemings. 

"  The  earl  long  delayed  coming  to 
Ghent,  but  at  last,  being  much  entreated 
by  several  of  the  chief  men  of  the  city,  he 
left  Bruges,  where  he  had  resided  since 
the  peace  had  been  made,  and  visited  the 
city.  His  coming  was  not  very  agreeable 
to  the  white-hoods  and  their  leaders,  but 
the    better   sort  of   citizens  much  desired 


84  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

his  protection  from  these  turbulent  men. 
The  day  after  his  arrival  the  earl  made  a 
long  speech  to  the  people,  in  which  he 
set  forth  all  the  evil  they  had  done,  but 
said  he  had  forgiven  every  thing ;  but  he 
desired,  that  now  all  strife  was  at  an  end, 
they  would  lay  aside  those  white  hoods, 
which  were  only  productive  of  mischief, 
and  would  make  some  satisfaction  for 
the  death  of  his  bailiff,  Roger  d'  Autuerme. 
John  Pruniaux  and  the  other  leaders  of 
the  white-hoods,  had  ordered  all  their 
men  to  appear  on  this  occasion,  and  as 
soon  as  the  earl  began  to  speak  of  putting 
off  the  white  hoods,  there  were  marks  of 
great  dissatisfaction  ;  and  when  the  earl  re- 
turned to  his  lodgings,  none  of  them  would 
salute  him  as  he  passed.  He  staid  but  a 
few  days  at  Ghent,  and  then  went  to 
Lille  in  a  very  ill  humour. 

"  The  relations  of  the  murdered  bailiff 
being  unable  to  get  any  satisfaction  from  the 
men  of  Ghent,  determined  to  revenge  them- 
selves, and  having  seized  fifty  boats  on  the 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  85 

river,  laden  with  corn  destined  for  Ghent, 
they  put  out  the  eyes  of  the  mariners,  and 
sent  them  in  that  shocking  condition  to 
Ghent.  This  action  caused  the  war  to  be 
renewed  more  fiercely  than  ever.  The  men 
of  Ghent  destroyed  the  walls  of  Oudenarde, 
and  John  Pruniaux  was  taken  and  broken 
upon  the  wheel  by  the  earl." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  being  broken 
upon  the  wheel,  uncle  ?"  said  Henry. 

"  It  was  a  dreadful  punishment,  long  in 
use  as  a  mode  of  executing  great  criminals. 
A  large  cart-wheel  was  raised  on  a  strong 
post,  and  the  sufferer  was  bound  upon  it, 
his  legs  and  arms  being  stretched  out  along 
the  spokes.  Then  the  executioner  stand- 
ing over  him  with  an  iron  bar,  broke  the 
bone  of  each  limb,  and  sometimes  broke 
each  bone  in  two  places. 

"  When  this  was  done  the  poor  wretch 
was  sometimes  left  to  die  a  death  of  linger- 
ing agony,  which  lasted  many  hours ;  but 
usually  his  life  was  put  an  end  to  by  a  blow 
on  the  breast,  which  was  called  the  coup- 
de-grace,  or  blow  of  mercy." 


86  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

I 

"Oh  !  what  a  shocking,  shocking  thing," 
said  Clara,  who  had  dropped  her  work  in 
horror,  as  she  listened  to  her  uncle's  ac- 
count. "  I  cou]j][  not  have  believed  that 
men  could  find  it  in  their  hearts  to  be  so 
cruel." 

"  There  is  scarcely  any  cruelty  that  can 
be  imagined,  Clara,"  said  uncle  Rupert, 
somewhat  sadly,  "  that  men  have  not  been 
found  wicked  enough  to  perpetrate.  It  is 
a  dreadful  thing  to  think  of,  that  human  na- 
ture is  capable  of  such  enormities ;  but  we 
must  not  forget,  also,  how  much  good  our 
nature  can  attain  ;  nor  that,  although  by  the 
indulgence  of  our  evil  dispositions,  we  may 
degrade  ourselves  to  beasts,  we  may,  by 
God's  assistance — and  his  aid  alone — at- 
tain to  a  height  but  a  little  lower  than  the 
angels." 

"  I  recollect,  my  dear  Clara,"  said  her 
mother,  "  a  very  remarkable  illustration  of 
what  your  uncle  has  just  said  ;  the  story  of 
a  wife  whose  holy. love  made  her  indeed  but 
a  very  little  lower  than  the  blessed  spirits  of 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  87 

heaven,  watching  and  soothing  to  the  last 
the  agonies  of  her  husband,  who  was  left  to 
die  upon  the  wheel.  Bring  me  Mrs.  He- 
man  s's  '  Records  of  Wpjuan'  to-morrow, 
Clara,  and  I  will  read  to  you  the  poem  of 
'  Gertrude,  or  Fidelity  till  Death,'  where  the 
tale  is  told  in  very  beautiful  verse." 

Clara,  whose  eyes  were  running  over  with 
tears,  promised  her  mother  not  to  forget  it, 
and  uncle  Rupert  went  on. 

"  The  war  continued  for  a  long  time, 
much  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  earl ;  for 
not  only  had  the  towns  of  Bruges,  Courtray, 
and  Ypres  joined  Ghent,  but  a  large  extent 
of  country  had  entirely  thrown  off  his  au- 
thority. At  last  a  dispute  that  arose  in 
Bruges,  between  the  richer  classes  and  the 
smaller  handicraft  trades,  gave  him  an  op- 
portunity of  reducing  that  town  once  more 
to  obedience  ;  and  with  Bruges  he  recovered 
many  other  places  which  had  been  obliged 
to  adhere  to  the  fortunes  of  the  men  of 
Bruges  against  their  will.  He  now  pre- 
pared to  attack  Ypres,  for  he  was  very  much 


88  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

i 

enraged  against  them  for  having  opened  their 
gates  to  the  men  of  Ghent.  When  this 
was  known  at  Ghent,  a  body  of  nine  thou- 
sand men  was  gpt  ready  and  sent  out  to 
help  the  men  of  Ypres.  Their  plan  was 
this :  one  party  under  Peter  du  Bois  was 
to  go  to  Courtray,  and  join  the  men  of  that 
place  under  their  governor,  John  de  Launoy ; 
and  the  other,  under  John  Boule,  was  to  go 
to  Ypres,  and  being  joined  by  the  men  of 
that  place,  the  whole  were  to  unite  and  to- 
gether seek  the  earl's  army  and  give  him 
battle.  But  this  scheme  was  disarranged 
by  John  Boule  and  his  men,  with  those  of 
Ypres,  falling  into  an  ambuscade,  placed  by 
the  earl  to  catch  them  unawares,  and  they 
were  quickly  discomfited,  and  sought  refuge 
in  great  disorder  at  Courtray,  where  the 
people  were  so  enraged  against  the  unhappy 
John  Boule,  who  they  declared  had  pur- 
posely betrayed  them,  that  they  dragged 
him  out  of  his  house,  and  literally  tore  him 
to  pieces.  The  Ghent  men  had  now  lost 
two  of  their  best  leaders,  and  Peter  du  Bois, 


THE    AVARS    OF    GHENT.  89 

collecting  all  his  men,  marched  back  to 
Ghent  without  attempting  any  thing  against 
the  earl. 

"  The  earl  now  marched  to  Ypres,  where, 
although  the  gates  were  open  to  him,  he 
took  a  terrible  revenge,  causing  no  less  than 
seven  hundred  of  those  who  had  been  con- 
cerned in  letting  John  Lyon  and  the  Ghent 
men  into  the  town  to  be  beheaded.  He 
next  took  possession  of  Courtray,  and  then 
besieged  Ghent  itself;  but  although  he  re- 
mained a  long  time  before  the  town  he  could 
not  take  it ;  for,  as  he  could  only  approach 
it  on  two  sides,  the  others  being  defended 
by  the  rivers,  the  people  had  no  difficulty  in 
procuring  provisions;  and  there  were  enough 
within  to  defend  the  walls  stoutly,  for  Ghent 
was  so  populous  that  it  contained  full  eighty 
thousand  men  fit  to  bear  arms.  So  at  last 
he  drew  his  army  away  from  Ghent,  and 
sought  to  reduce  every  other  place  which 
still  held  out  against  him. 

"  John  de  Launoy,  who  had  been  gov- 
ernor of  Courtray,  had  now  the  care  of  a 

5* 


90  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

strong  castle,  called  Gavre,  but  as  he  feared 
the  earl  would  attack  it,  and  he  had  not 
men  enough  to  defend  it,  he  came  to  Ghent, 
and  Rasse  de  Harzelle  was  sent  with  him, 
with  ten  thousand  men,  to  defend  Gavre, 
and  attack  the  earl,  if  they  should  meet  with 
him.  The  same  day  Peter  du  Bois  went 
out  with  six  thousand  men  in  a  different  di- 
rection, for  their  object  was  to  meet  the 
earl's  army  ;  but  it  was  agreed  that  neither 
party  should  fight  without  the  other,  but  if 
one  met  with  the  earl,  they  were  to  avoid 
a  battle  till  they  could  send  to  the  other, 
and  bring  them  up  to  join  them.  Launoy 
and  his  party  fell  in  with  the  earl's  army 
sooner  than  they  expected,  and  although 
the  earl  mustered  nearly  two  to  one,  they 
rashly  determined  to  engage  him  without 
sending  to  Peter  du  Bois,  although  having 
the  town  of  Nevelle  behind  them,  they  could 
have  waited  for  him  in  safety.  They  were 
entirely  defeated. 

"  Such   as  could  escape  retired  towards 
the   church   of  Nevelle,  which  was   strong, 


THE    WARS    OF    GHENT.  91 

and  having  collected  themselves  there, 
a  hard  battle  ensued,  and  great  slaugh- 
ter was  made  of  them.  John  de  Launoy, 
like  one  distracted,  rushed  into  the  church, 
and  posted  himself,  and  as  many  men  as 
he  could,  in  the  large  tower  of  the  steeple. 
Rasse  de  Harzelle  remained  behind,  and, 
with  his  men,  performed  many  valorous 
deeds  at  the  door  of  the  church ;  but  at 
last  he  was  overpowered,  and  pierced  with 
a  spear,  which  instantly  killed  him. 

"  When  the  Earl  of  Flanders  arrived  at 
the  square  before  the  church,  and  saw  that 
the  Ghent  men  had  retreated  into  it,  he  or- 
dered it  to  be  set  on  fire ;  his  order  was 
obeyed,  and  a  fire  was  kindled  with  great 
quantities  of  straw  and  fagots,  which  they 
placed  all  round  the  church.  The  flames 
soon  ascended  to  the  roof,  when  the  Ghent 
men  perished  miserably ;  for  they  were  sure 
of  being  burned  if  they  staid  in  the  church, 
and  if  they  sallied  out  they  were  slain  and 
cast  back  into  the  fire.  John  de  Launoy, 
who  was  in  the  steeple,  perceiving  himself 


92  THE    WARS    OF    GHENT. 

at  the  point  of  death,  and  that  he  must  soon 
be  burned,  for  the  steeple  was  beginning  to 
take  fire,  cried  out  to  those  below,  i  Ran- 
som !  Ransom  !'  and  offered  his  coat,  which 
was  very  valuable,  for  the  whole  was  lined 
with  florins,  which  he  had  sewed  into  it  for 
safety  ;  but  they  laughed  and  mocked  him, 
saying,  'John,  come  and  speak  to  us  through 
these  windows,  and  we  will  receive  you. 
Take  a  good  leap,  John,  such  as  you  have 
forced  our  friends  to  take  this  year  ; — you 
had  better  take  the  leap.'  John  de  Launoy 
finding  his  situation  desperate,  and  the  fire 
so  fast  approaching  that  he  must  be  burned, 
grew  furious,  and  preferred  being  slain  to 
being  burned.  Both  happened  to  him  ;  for 
he  leaped  out  of  the  windows  in  the  midst 
of  his  enemies,  who  received  him  on  their 
spears,  and  after  hacking  him  to  pieces, 
flung  him  into  the  flames.  Such  was  the 
shocking  end  of  John  de  Launoy. 

"  Now  1  have  talked  long  enough  for  one 
evening ;  but  to-morrow,  with  mamma's 
permission,  I  will  tell  you  of  the  fortunes  of 
Philip  Van  Artavelde," 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  93 


THIED   EVENING. 


PHILIP  VAN  ARTAVELDE. 

Philip  Van  Artavelde  made  Governor  of  Ghent — Second  Siege 
of  Ghent — Propositions  for  a  Peace — Philip  Van  Artavelde 
and  Peter  du  Bois  Assassinate  the  Deputies  who  bring  the 
Earl's  Answer — Great  Distress  in  Ghent — Conferences  in 
Tournay — The  Ghent  Men  march  against  Bruges — Wat  Ty- 
ler— The  Jacquerie. 

The  next  evening  the  little  party  again 
assembled,  when  uncle  Rupert,  being  set- 
tled in  his  arm  chair,  thus  continued  : 

"  Peter  du  Bois  had  come  in  sight  of 
Harzelle's  and  Launoy's  men,  and  had 
the  mortification  of  beholding  their  defeat 
without  the  possibility  of  helping  them ; 
for  a  large  tract  of  marshy  land,  which  he 
could  not  cross,  lay  between  them.  He 
was,  therefore,  obliged  to  return  very  dis- 
consolately to  Ghent. 

"  And  now  Peter  du  Bois  began  to  feel 
very  uneasy  when  he  thought  of  his  own 
situation.     He  was  the  last  of  the  four  cap- 


94  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDL. 

tains  chosen  as  the  leaders  of  the  Ghent 
men,  and  he  felt  himself  far  better  fitted 
for  leading  an  army  than  for  governing  a 
city.  The  richer  citizens  were  becoming 
heartily  tired  of  the  war,  for  it  cruelly  op- 
pressed them.  The  white-hoods  had  be- 
come masters  of  the  town,  and  although 
in  the  beginning  many  of  them  were  but 
poor  men,  scarcely  worth  a  groat,  they  had 
now  plenty  of  gold  and  silver  ;  for  when 
they  were  in  want,  they  complained  to 
their  leaders,  who  would  send  word  to 
some  of  the  rich  citizens  that  they  wished 
to  speak  to  them.  These  dared  not  re- 
fuse the  summons ;  and  on  their  arrival 
they  were  told  that  the  good  town  of  Ghent 
was  in  want  of  money  to  pay  their  sol- 
diers, who  were  aiding  to  guard  and  pre- 
serve their  rights  and  franchises.  They 
raised  instantly  among  themselves  the  sum 
demanded  ;  for  had  they  refused,  they 
would  have  been  put  to  death  on  pretence 
of  being  traitors  to  the  good  town  of 
Ghent,  and  indifferent  to  its  honour  and 
profit. 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  95 

"  Their  late  ill  success,  and  the  loss  of  so 
many  of  their  captains  and  soldiers,  had 
quite  dispirited  the  more  sober  part  of  the 
citizens,  and  they  began  to  talk  of  beg- 
ging a  peace  from  the  earl,  saying  that  it 
was  better  that  a  few  should  suffer  than  a 
whole  citv. 

"  Peter  du  Bois,  who  knew  that  if  they 
submitted  to  the  earl  he  should  certainly 
lose  his  life,  began  to  consider  what 
means  he  should  take  to  prevent  the  citi- 
zens from  making  peace.  He  clearly  saw 
that  there  was  the  greatest  need  of  ap- 
pointing an  able  leader,  who  would  be 
willingly  obeyed  ;  and  he  felt  that  he  him- 
self possessed  neither  talents  nor  influence 
with  the  people  sufficient  to  enable  him 
to  fill  such  a  station.  He  had  heard  John 
Lyon  and  the  old  people  of  Ghent  say, 
that  the  whole  country  was  never  so  well 
governed,  feared,  loved,  and  honoured,  as 
during  the  time  of  Jacob  Van  Artavelde's 
rule  ;  and  the  people  often  said,  that  if  Ja- 
cob were  alive  affairs  would  not  be  in  such 


96  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

a  bad  condition,  but  they  should  be  able 
to  obtain  peace  on  their  own  terms,  and  the 
earl  would  be  only  too  happy  to  grant  a 
free  forgiveness  to  every  one. 

"  When  Peter  thought  on  these  sayings 
he  bethought  him  that  Jacob  Van  Artavelde 
had  left  a  son  called  Philip,  a  handsome 
and  agreeable  man,  to  whom  Philippa, 
queen  of  England,  when  she  was  at  Ghent, 
during  the  siege  of  Tournay,  in  1340,  had 
stood  godmother,  and  he  considered  within 
himself  that  this  was  the  very  man  he 
wanted.  His  name  would  make  him  ac- 
ceptable to  the  people  ;  and  although  he 
had  hitherto  been  living  very  quietly  with 
his  mother,  taking  no  part  in  public  affairs, 
yet  Peter  knew  that  he  possessed  sufficient 
talents  for  the  office  he  designed  for  him. 

"  Accordingly,  he  went  one  evening  to 
Philip's  house,  explained  all  his  views  to 
him,  and  concluded  by  offering  to  make 
him  the  greatest  man  in  Flanders.  6  I  will,' 
said  he,  '  place  you  in  your  father's  situa- 
tion ;  and  when  there,  if  you  will  for  a  time 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  97 

follow  my  advice,  you  will  soon  acquire  the 
art  of  managing  the  people  without  further 
assistance.' — 4  Peter,'  said  Philip,  «  you  offer 
me  great  things,  and  if  you  keep  your  word, 
I  swear  on  my  faith,  that  I  will  never  act 
without  your  advice.' — Peter  asked,  '  Can 
you  be  cruel  and  proud  ?  For  a  great  man 
among  the  populace,  and,  in  particular, 
among  such  as  we  have  to  do  with,  will 
not  be  thought  any  thing  worth  if  he  be  not 
feared  and  dreaded,  and  at  times  renowned 
even  for  his  cruelty.  It  is  thus  only  the 
Flemings  can  be  governed  ;  and  among 
them  men's  lives  should  be  no  more  valued, 
nor  should  they  have  more  pity  shown  to 
them  than  pigeons  or  larks,  which  are 
caught  in  proper  season  for  the  table.' — 
1  By  my  troth,'  answered  Philip,  '  I  know 
well  how  to  act  that  part ;'  and  doubtless 
he  did,  for  Peter's  instructions  were  all 
grounded  on  the  conduct  pursued  by  Phil- 
ip's father,  who,  whenever  he  went  abroad, 
was  attended  by  three  or  four  score  armed 
men  on  foot,  and  if  he  met  any  man  whom 


98  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

he  hated  or  suspected,  he  had  but  to  make 
a  sign,  and  he  was  instantly  put  to  death  by 
his  attendants,  of  whatever  rank  he  might 
be.  This  happened  very  frequently,  and 
he  was  so  dreaded  that  no  one  dared  to 
speak  against  his  actions,  or  scarcely  to 
contradict  him.  With  such  an  example 
before  him,  Philip  was  well  prepared  to  be 
quite  as  proud  and  cruel  as  Peter  du  Bois 
judged  necessary. 

"  The  next  day  Peter  summoned  a  meet- 
ing of  the  people  to  deliberate  on  the 
choice  of  a  governor.  The  Lord  of  Har- 
zelle  (the  brother  of  the  unfortunate  Rasse) 
-  was  there ;  he  was  accustomed  to  take  a 
principal  share  in  the  management  of  the 
city,  and  some  proposed  him  for  governor ; 
but  as  he  refused  to  have  any  thing  to  do 
with  the  management  of  affairs  beyond  the 
walls,  he  was  not  to  be  thought  of.  But 
when  Peter  got  up  and  proposed  Philip 
Van  Artavelde,  reminding  the  people  of 
their  prosperity  under  his  father's  rule,  a 
universal  shout  of   approbation  arose,   and 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  99 

they  cried  out  with  one  voice,  that  he  was 
the  man  they  would  have  for  their  governor. 
The  whole  assembly  then  went  to  Philip's 
house,  headed  by  the  Lord  of  Harzelle, 
Peter  du  Eois,  Peter  la  Nuitee,  and  about 
ten  or  twelve  of  the  principal  tradesmen, 
who  went  in  to  Philip,  and  addressed  him, 
saying,  4  That  the  good  town  of  Ghent  was 
in  the  greatest  danger  for  want  of  a  chief, 
with  whom  alliances  might  be  formed  both 
at  home  and  abroad ;  and  that  all  ranks  of 
people  in  Ghent  had  given  him  their  voices, 
and  chosen  him  to  be  their  sovereign ;  for 
the  good  remembrance  of  his  name,  and  the 
love  they  had  borne  to  his  father,  made  him 
more  agreeable  to  them  than  any  one  else ; 
for  which  reasons,  they  entreated  him  affec- 
tionately to  take  on  him  the  government  of 
the  town,  with  the  management  of  their 
affairs,  both  within  and  without,  and  they 
would  swear  to  him  obedience  and  loyalty 
as  completely  as  to  their  lord.'  They  like- 
wise engaged  to  bring  every  one,  how  great 
soever  he  might  be,  under  his  obedience. 


100  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

"  Philip  replied:  '  Gentlemen,  you  require 
great  things  of  me  ;  and  I  think  you  cannot 
have  sufficiently  weighed  the  matter  when 
you  offer  me  the  government  of  Ghent. 
You  say  the  affection  your  ancestors  had  for 
my  father  has  been  your  great  inducement ; 
yet  when  he  had  performed  for  them  every 
service  in  his  power,  they  murdered  hirn. 
If  I  should  accept  the  government  at  your 
request,  and  be  afterwards  murdered,  1 
should  have  but  a  sorry  recompense.' — 
'  Philip,'  said  Peter,  who  caught  at  these 
words,  which  seemed  to  make  his  accept- 
ance doubtful,  '  what  has  passed  cannot 
now  be  amended ;  you  will  act  with  the 
advice  of  your  council,  who  will  share  the 
responsibility  with  you,  and  by  thus  con- 
tinuing, you  will  ever  be  so  well  advised, 
that  all  mankind  shall  praise  you.' — Philip 
replied,  i  I  shall  never  wish  to  act  other- 
wise.' They  then  elected  him  governor  on 
the  spot,  and  conducting  him  into  the  mar- 
ket-place, he  was  there  sworn  into  office : 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  101 

the  major,  sheriffs  and  rulers  of  companies 
were  also  sworn  to  obey  him. 

rt  Thus  was  Philip  Van  Artavelde,  in  the 
year  1381,  made  sovereign  of  Ghent.  He 
at  once  became  very  popular,  for  he  spoke 
to  every  one  who  had  any  business  with 
him  prudently  and  politely,  so  that  he  was 
beloved  by  all.  He  acted  wisely  also  in 
making  the  Lord  de  Harzelle,  who  had 
great  influence  in  the  city,  his  friend ;  and 
he  gave  him  part  of  the  revenues  which  the 
Earl  of  Flanders  had  in  Ghent,  the  better 
to  support  his  rank  ;  for,  by  adhesion  to  the 
party  of  the  citizens,  he  had  lost  every 
thing  he  possessed  beyond  the  walls  of  the 
town. 

"  Philip  soon  began  to  practise  Peter  du 
Bois's  lessons,  for  he  had  not  been  long  go- 
vernor of  Ghent  before  he  had  twelve  per- 
sons beheaded  in  his  presence ;  some  said 
they  were  those  who  had  been  principally 
concerned  in  the  murder  of  his  father,  and 
that  thus  he  revenged  himself  on  them.  He 
began  his  reign  with  great  power,  and  made 


102  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

himself  beloved  and  feared  by  many,  more 
especially  by  those  who  followed  the  pro- 
fession of  arms  :  for  to  gain  their  favour  he 
refused  them  nothing. 

"  The  earl  again  laid  siege  to  Ghent ; 
but  being  dispirited  by  the  losses  he  sus- 
tained, he  gave  it  up,  and  determined  to  try 
another  method,  and  try  to  starve  the  citi- 
zens into  obedience.  They  had  hitherto 
drawn  their  principal  supplies  from  Holland, 
Hainault,  Liege,  and  Brabant,  and  the  earl 
prevailed  upon  the  rulers  of  Hainault  and 
Brabant,  to  give  their  subjects  strict  orders 
not  to  furnish  the  Ghent  men  with  any 
thing ;  so  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
Hollanders,  and  the  men  of  Liege,  who 
would  not  comply  with  the  earl's  desire, 
there  would  have  been  a  famine  in  Ghent. 
About  this  time  a  meeting  of  deputies  from 
Brabant,  Hainault  and  Liege,  was  held  at 
Harlebecque,  near  Courtray,  to  consider  on 
the  affairs  of  Flanders,  and  determine  on 
the  course  of  conduct  these  neighbouring 
states  should  pursue  in  regard  to  the  dis- 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  103 

putes  between  the  earl  and  the  men  of 
Ghent,  and  to  settle  among  themselves 
whether  they  should  still  refuse  to  send 
supplies  to  Ghent.  The  earl  attended  this 
meeting,  and  thither  came  also  twelve  of 
the  principal  inhabitants  of  Ghent,  of  whom 
Sir  Guisebert  Grutte  and  Sir  Simon  Bete 
were  the  chief;  and  at  their  entreaties  the 
earl  made  proposals  for  a  peace,  which,  it 
was  arranged,  they  should  submit  to  their 
fellow-citizens. 

"  On  the  return  of  the  deputies,  Peter  du 
Bois,  who  had  spies  every  where  to  bring 
him  intelligence,  soon  learnt  that  they  had 
brought  proposals  for  a  peace,  and  that  they 
had  said,  ;  It  would  be  an  excellent  peace 
for  those  who  were  well  inclined  and  wished 
for  quiet,  but  that  some  of  the  wicked  ones 
in  the  town  would  be  punished.'  Peter 
was  much  disquieted  on  hearing  this,  for, 
thought  he,  if  any  are  to  be  punished  for 
this  war,  I  shall  not  be  one  of  the  last ;  but 
it  shall  not  go  thus.  That  same  evening  he 
went  to  the  house  of  Philip  Van  Artavelde, 


104  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

and  found  him  musing  and  thoughtful,  lean- 
ing against  a  window  in  his  apartment. 
He  asked  Philip  '  If  he  had  heard  any  ti- 
dings ?' — S  No,  truly,'  said  he  ;  'but  that  I 
hear  our  men  are  returned  from  the  council 
at  Harlebecque,  and  to-morrow  we  shall 
hear,  in  the  town-hall,  what  they  have 
done.' — l  That  is  true,'  answered  Peter ; 
f  but  I  know  what  they  have  done,  and  pur- 
pose to  do ;  for  some  who  were  there  have 
told  all  to  my  friends.  Be  assured,  Philip, 
the  treaty  they  have  made,  and  would  have 
us  confirm,  will  put  our  heads  in  jeopardy ; 
for  if  there  be  peace  made  between  the 
earl  and  this  town,  know  for  a  truth,  that 
you  and  I,  and  the  Lord  de  Harzelle,  and 
all  such  captains  as  have  aided  us  in  this 
war,  shall  be  the  first  that  shall  die,  and  the 
rich  men  will  be  saved.  They  will  bring 
us  into  danger,  and  go  themselves  free ; 
and  this  was  ever  the  opinion  of  John  Lyon. 
The  earl  has  always  those  apes,  Gilbert 
Matthew  and  his  brethren,  and  the  Provost 
of  Harlebecque,  who  is  their  relative,  and 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  105 

the  deacon  of  the  small  crafts,  [who  fled 
away  with  them,  about  him.  We  ought  to 
take  good  counsel  together  on  this  matter, 
and  consider  what  is  best  to  be  done.' — 
c  How  should  we  act  ?'  asked  Philip. — S  I 
will  tell  you  my  mind,'  replied  Peter.  c  Let 
us  give  knowledge  of  this  to  all  our  leaders 
and  captains,  that  they  be  to-morrow,  all 
ready  armed,  in  the  market-place ;  and 
then  let  us  two  enter  into  the  hall  with  a 
hundred  with  us,  to  hear  the  contents  of 
the  treaty.  Leave  me  to  manage  the  rest, 
so  you  will  avow  my  deed,  and  stand  stout- 
ly by  me ;  for  unless  we  are  feared  among 
the  people,  we  can  do  nothing. — Philip 
very  well  understood  what  Peter  du  Bois 
meditated,  and  he  agreed  to  act  with  him. 
Then  Peter  du  Bois  departed,  and  sent  to 
all  the  leaders  and  captains  under  him,  com- 
manding them  and  all  their  men  to  be  ready 
in  the  morning,  in  the  market-place,  to  hear 
the  news.  They  all  obeyed,  for  they  durst 
not  do  otherwise,  and  they  were  all  ever 
ready  to  do  evil. 

6 


106  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

"  The  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock,  the 
mayor,  sheriffs,  and  rich  men  of  the  city 
came  to  the  market-place,  and  entered  the 
town-hall ;  then  came  those  who  had  been 
at  the  conferences  at  Harlebecque ;  and 
last  came  Peter  du  Bois  and  Philip  Van 
Artavelde,  well  attended  by  those  of  their 
party.  When  they  were  all  assembled  and 
seated,  for  every  one  who  chose  it  sat  down, 
they  found  the  Lord  de  Harzelle  was  not 
present ;  they  sent  to  him,  but  he  excused 
himself,  saying  he  was  unwell.  '  Proceed,' 
cried  out  Peter  du  Bois,  { I  will  answer  for 
him,  and  we  are  full  enough ;  let  us  hear 
what  these  gentlemen  have  brought  from 
the  conferences  at  Harlebecque.' 

"  Upon  this,  Guisebert  Grutte,  and  Si- 
mon Bete  rose  up,  as  being  the  principal 
deputies,  when  one  of  them  spoke  thus  : — 
'  Gentlemen  of  Ghent,  we  have  attended 
the  conferences  at  Harlebecque ;  and  we 
have  had  much  labour  and  difficulty,  in  con- 
junction with  the  good  men  of  Brabant, 
Liege,  and  Hainault,  in  making  up  our  dis- 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  107 

putes  with  the  earl  our  lord.  However,  at 
the  entreaty  of  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of 
Brabant,  who  had  sent  thither  their  council, 
as  well  as  Duke  Albert  of  Hainault,  the 
good  town  of  Ghent  is  at  peace  with  the 
earl,  on  condition  that  two  hundred  men- 
at-arms,  whose  names  he  will  send  within 
fifteen  days  in  writing,  shall  surrender 
themselves  to  his  prison  in  the  castle  of 
Lille,  to  his  pure  will :  he  is  so  noble  and 
generous  that  he  will  show  them  mercy  and 
pardon.5 — At  these  words  Peter  du  Bois 
started  up,  and  cried,  '  Guisebert,  how  have 
you  dared  to  enter  into  any  treaty  that 
should  put  two  hundred  men-at-arms  into 
any  of  the  enemy's  prisons  ?  Ghent  would 
be  indeed  disgraced ;  and  better  would  it 
be  for  it  if  completely  overturned,  than  to 
be  reproached  for  having  so  scandalously 
concluded  the  war.  We  know  well  that 
neither  you  nor  Simon  Bete  will  be  of  the 
two  hundred.  You  have  taken  your  part, 
and  have  made  your  own  choice ;  but  we 
will  carve  and  cut  for  ourselves.     Advance, 


108  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

Philip,  on  these  traitors,  who  want  to  be- 
tray and  dishonour  the  town  of  Ghent.' 

"  With  these  words  Peter  du  Bois  drew 
his  dagger,  and  coming  up  to  Guisebert, 
struck  him  into  the  belly,  so  that  he  fell 
down  dead.  Philip  also  drew  his  dagger, 
and  with  it  struck  Simon  Bete  and  slew 
him.  They  then  began  to  cry  out,  '  Trea- 
son !  Treason  V  They  had  their  partisans 
all  round  them,  so  that  many  of  the  richest 
and  greatest  men  of  the  town  were  obliged 
to  conceal  their  disapprobation  of  this  vio- 
lence to  save  their  lives.  At  that  time  only 
those  two  were  killed ;  but  to  satisfy  the 
people,  and  to  turn  the  affair  to  their  own 
advantage,  Peter  and  Philip  sent  some  of 
their  men  to  proclaim  throughout  the  town, 
that  Guisebert  Grutte  and  Simon  Bete  had 
been  put  to  death,  because,  like  false  trai- 
tors, they  wanted  to  betray  the  good  town 
of  Ghent.  Thus  the  matter  ended :  the 
dead  were  dead,  and  no  one  was  called  to 
any  account  for  it,  nor  any  penalty  exacted. 
In  this  manner  were  slain  two  valiant  and 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  109 

rich  men  in  the  town  of  Ghent,  for  having 
acted  according  to  the  instructions  of  many 
of  their  fellow-citizens.  They  were  much 
pitied  in  secret ;  but  no  one  dared  to  show 
his  sorrow  in  public  for  fear  of  his  life. 

"  When  the  Earl  of  Flanders,  who  was 
at  Bruges,  heard  of  this,  he  was  sorely  en- 
raged and  said,  '  At  the  entreaties  of  my 
cousins  of  Brabant  and  Hainault,  I  too  easily 
acceded  to  their  wishes  of  making  peace 
with  the  Ghent  men,  and  more  than  once 
have  they  in  return  thus  acted :  but  I  will 
have  them  know,  they  shall  never  have 
peace  until  I  have  had  given  up  to  me  such 
a  number  of  the  inhabitants  as  will  satisfy 
me.' 

"  The  war  now  went  on  more  bitterly 
than  before.  Parties  of  the  earl's  troops 
were  in  the  field  night  and  day,  so  that  no 
provisions  could  enter  the  town.  The  Bra- 
banters  and  Hainaulters  were  afraid  of  ven- 
turing themselves  ;  for  whenever  they  were 
met  by  the  earl's  men,  the  best  that  befel 
them  was    the    slaughter  of  their  horses, 


110  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

sending  them  prisoners  to  Dendremonde  or 
Oudenarde,  or  making  them  pay  ransom. 
The  whole  winter  of  1382  nothing  was  per- 
mitted to  enter  the  place  by  land  or  water : 
all  the  storehouses  of  corn  were  empty,  and 
the  people  could  not  obtain  bread  for  money. 
When  the  bakers  had  baked  any,  it  was 
necessary  to  guard  their  shops,  for  the  popu- 
lace, who  were  starving,  would  have  broken 
them  open.  People  of  good  substance  were 
in  a  miserable  condition,  and  it  was  melan- 
choly to  hear  them  make  their  daily  com- 
plaints and  cries  to  Philip  Van  Artavelde, 
their  commander-in-chief.  He  took  great 
compassion  on  them,  and  made  several  very 
good  regulations,  for  which  he  was  much 
praised.  He  ordered  the  granaries  of  the 
monasteries  and  rich  men  to  be  opened,  and 
divided  the  corn  among  the  poor  at  a  fixed 
price.  By  such  means  he  gave  comfort  to 
the  town  of  Ghent,  and  governed  it  well. 
Sometimes  casks  of  flour  and  baked  bread 
were  sent  them  from  Holland  and  Zealand; 
and  without  such  assistance  they  could  not 
have  held  out. 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  Ill 

w  The  Duke  of  Brabant  had  prohibited 
his  subjects  from  carrying  provisions  to 
Ghent,  but  had  not  prohibited  them  from 
trading  with  the  Ghent  men  should  they 
visit  Brabant ;  and  at  length  the  pressure  of 
famine  became  so  great,  that  early  in  the 
spring  a  body  of  twelve  thousand  Ghent 
men,  soldiers  and  others,  under  the  guidance 
of  a  leader  named  Francis  Atremen,  deter- 
mined to  venture  forth  and  endeavour  to 
purchase  a  supply  of  provisions  at  Brussels, 
and  bring  them  home  in  safety.  They  were 
not  permitted  to  enter  Brussels,  or  any  other 
of  the  towns  of  Bral$ant ;  but  the  good  peo- 
ple brought  them  provisions,  and  showed 
much  compassion  for  them.  They  staid  in 
that  country  full  three  weeks,  refreshing 
themselves  with  rest  and  plentiful  living, 
after  the  dreadful  sufferings  they  had  en- 
dured at.  home.  In  the  mean  time,  Francis 
Atremen  paid  a  visit  to  Liege,  and  had  an 
interview  with  the  bishop,  who  was  the 
prince  as  well  as  bishop  of  that  town  and 
the    surrounding    country.      He    received 


112  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

Francis  and  his  companions  very  kindly, 
and  told  them  that  if  his  country  lay  as 
near  Ghent  as  did  Brabant  and  Hainault, 
they  should  never  have  been  put  to  such 
straits.  '  However,5  said  he,  i  you  are  mer- 
chants, and  we  have  a  right  to  trade  in  our 
own  country  with  whomsoever  we  please. 
We  can  supply  you  with  five  or  six  hundred 
cart-loads  of  corn  and  flour,  and  our  mer- 
chandise will  be  allowed  to  pass  freely 
through  Brabant;  from  thence  you  must 
depend  on  yourselves  to  convey  it  safely  to 
Ghent.5  Francis  and  his  companions  warm- 
ly thanked  the  bishop  and  the  Liegois  for 
their  kindness,  and  within  two  days  six 
hundred  carts  laden  with  provision  were  on 
the  road  to  Ghent. 

"  Before  he  left  the  country,  Francis  vis- 
ited the  Duchess  of  Brabant  at  Brussels, 
and  entreated  her  to  use  her  influence  with 
her  brother-in-law,  the  Earl  of  Flanders,  to 
induce  him  to  make  peace  with  the  men  of 
Ghent.  She  promised  to  do  all  she  could, 
and  to  send  deputies  to  meet  those  of  Liege 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  113 

and  Hainault,  who  had  already  promised  to 
meet  at  Toumay,  and  endeavour  to  make 
up  the  differences  between  the  earl  and  his 
subjects. 

"  You  may  imagine  how  rejoiced  the  peo- 
ple of  Ghent  were  when  they  heard  that 
Francis  and  his  men  were  returning  with 
provision  ;  for  though  there  was  not  more 
than  enough  for  fifteen  days'  subsistence, 
yet  that  was  much  to  people  who  were 
starving.  To  those  who  are  comfortless  a 
little  thing  gives  hope.  They  went  out  in 
procession  to  meet  the  convoy ;  and  when 
they  met  it,  they  fell  on  their  knees,  and, 
with  uplifted  hands,  said  to  the  merchants 
and  drivers,  '  Ah !  good  people,  you  do  an 
act  of  great  charity ;  you  bring  comfort  to 
the  poor  people  of  Ghent,  who  would  not 
have  had  wherewithal  to  eat  if  you  had  not 
come.  Let  us  first  give  our  thanks  and 
praises  to  God,  and  then  to  you.'  The  pro- 
visions were  carried  to  the  market-place, 
and  there  unloaded ;  they  were  then  deliv- 
ered out  in  small  portions  to  those  who  were 

6* 


114  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

in  the  greatest  want ;  and  five  thousand  men 
were  ordered  to  arm  themselves  and  to  es- 
cort back  the  carts  as  far  as  Brabant,  and 
out  of  all  danger. 

"  The  conference  at  Tournay  was  fixed 
for  the  end  of  Easter,  and  the  deputies  from 
Liege,  Hainault,  and  Brabant  arrived  there 
at  the  appointed  time.  Twelve  deputies, 
of  whom  Philip  Van  Artavelde  was  one, 
came  from  Ghent,  and  they  had  agreed  to 
accept  any  terms,  provided  no  one  was  to 
be  put  to  death;  but  they  were  willing  to 
consent  to  the  perpetual  banishment  of  any 
who  might  be  disagreeable  to  the  earl ;  and 
Philip  expressed  his  readiness  to  go  into 
exile  if  he  had  given  offence  to  the  earl,  so 
much  regard  had  he  for  the  poor  people  of 
Ghent.  The  Earl  of  Flanders,  although  he 
had  promised  to  come,  did  not  make  his  ap- 
pearance, but  at  length  some  of  the  council 
went  to  him  at  Bruges.  He  told  them  that 
he  could  not  come  to  Tournay  at  that  time, 
but  that  he  would  shortly  send  his  final  an- 
swer.    In  a  few  days  deputies  arrived  from 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  115 

him,  who  delivered  this  message  : — '  That 
the  inhabitants  of  Ghent  were  not  to  ex- 
pect peace  from  him,  unless  all  persons  from 
the  age  of  fifteen  to  sixty  submitted  to  come 
out  of  that  city,  bareheaded,  in  their  shirts, 
with  halters  about  their  necks,  on  the  road 
between  Ghent  and  Bruges,  where  the  earl 
would  wait  for  them,  and  grant  them  par- 
don, or  put  them  to  death,  according  to  his 
pleasure.'  When  this  was  communicated 
to  the  deputies  from  Ghent,  the  bailiff  of 
Hainault  advised  them  to  agree  to  it,  for  the 
earl,  he  said,  would  be  satisfied  with  putting 
to  death  only  a  few  of  them  who  had  most 
displeased  him.  Philip  Van  Artavelde  re- 
plied that  they  were  not  commissioned  to 
treat  on  such  terms  ;  but  if  the  citizens  of 
Ghent,  when  they  heard  them,  chose  to  ac- 
cept them,  he  should  do  nothing  to  prevent 
them.  The  deputies  from  Ghent  then  took 
their  departure,  and  returned  home  through 
Brabant.  The  Earl  of  Flanders  did  not 
even  inquire  whether  the  Ghent  men  had 
given  any  answer  to  his  proposals,  for  he 


116  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

did  not  wish  to  make  peace,  but  sought  ut- 
terly to  destroy  and  ruin  them,  and  had 
issued  summonses  to  collect  troops,  intend- 
ing once  more  to  lay  siege  to  the  city. 

"  When  Philip  returned  to  Ghent,  he 
summoned  all  the  people  to  attend  him  in 
the  market-place,  and  there  made  a  speech 
to  them,  showing  what  had  been  done  at 
Tournay,  and  the  cruel  answer  returned 
by  the  Earl  of  Flanders  ;  and,  in  conclu- 
sion, said,  by  what  he  could  learn  from 
his  messengers,  it  was  his  intention  to  put 
to  death,  or  imprison  the  greater  part  of 
the  inhabitants.  '  Now,'  said  he,  l  consider 
if  you  will  have  peace  on  these  terms !' 

u  When  Philip  had  done  speaking,  it 
was  a  melancholy  sight  to  behold  men, 
women,  and  children  bewailing  with  tears 
their  husbands,  fathers,  brothers,  and  neigh- 
bours. Philip  at  length  entreated  silence, 
and  again  addressed  them.  '  Worthy  in- 
habitants of  Ghent,5  said  he,  '  you  who  are 
here  assembled,  are  the  majority  of  its  citi- 
zens, and  you  have  heard  all  I  had  to  re- 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  117 

port  to  you  :  I  see  no  means  of  remedy  but 
a  determined  conduct.  You  know  how 
very  much  we  are  straitened  for  all  sorts  of 
provision,  and  that  there  are  thirty  thousand 
persons  in  this  town  who  have  not  tasted 
bread  for  fifteen  days.  In  my  opinion,  we 
have  but  the  choice  of  three  things ;  the 
first,  that  we  close  all  our  gates,  and  then, 
after  having  confessed  ourselves,  retire  into 
the  churches  and  monasteries,  and  there  die 
like  martyrs,  to  whom  no  mercy  has  been 
shown.  Or,  let  us  resolve  to  march  out, 
men,  women,  and  children,  with  halters 
about  our  necks,  bareheaded,  and  with 
naked  feet,  and  implore  the  mercy  of  my 
lord  the  earl ;  he  is  not  so  hard-hearted,  nor 
so  obstinate,  but  when  he  shall  see  us  in 
such  a  humiliating  condition,  he  will  be  soft- 
ened, and  take  pity  on  his  subjects ;  and  1 
will  be  the  first  to  offer  him  my  head,  in  order 
to  assuage  his  hatred,  and  sacrifice  myself 
for  the  city  of  Ghent.  Or,  let  us  choose 
from  five  to  six  thousand  of  the  most  deter- 
mined men  in  the  town,  and  instantly  march 


118  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

to  attack  the  earl  in  Bruges  ;  we  will  give 
him  battle  ;  and  if  we  shall  be  slain  in  the 
attempt,  we  shall  at  least  die  with  honour, 
and  God  will  have  mercy  upon  us,  and  the 
world  will  say  that  we  have  gallantly  and 
valorously  maintained  our  quarrel.  If,  how- 
ever, in  this  battle  we  be  victorious,  and  our 
Lord  God,  who  in  ancient  times  enabled 
Judas  Maccabeus,  the  chief  of  his  Jewish 
people,  to  defeat  and  slay  the  Syrians,  will 
in  like  manner  grant  us  success,  we  shall 
be  every  where  the  most  honoured  people 
since  the  time  of  the  Romans.  Now,  con- 
sider which  of  these  three  propositions  you 
will  make  choice  of,  for  one  of  them  must 
be  adopted.' 

"  The  people  said  he  should  choose  for 
them,  and  they  would  obey  him  in  every 
thing.  This  was  exactly  what  he  wanted, 
for  he  and  Peter  du  Bois,  who  knew  that 
there  would  be  no  safety  for  them  if  peace 
was  made,  had  settled  their  whole  plan  the 
night  before  ;  and  Philip's  object,  in  his 
speech,   had  been   to  rouse   the   people  to 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  119 

make  one  more  determined  effort  against 
the  earl.  He  at  once  decided  on  making 
a  bold  attack  on  him.  He  desired  them 
to  go  home  and  put  their  arms  in  order, 
and  sent  round  his  officers  to  choose  out  five 
thousand  of  the  stoutest  and  best-armed 
men,  who  were  ordered  to  be  in  readiness 
to  march  the  next  afternoon.  They  carried 
with  them  two  hundred  carts  laden  with 
cannon  and  ammunition — " 

"  Carried  their  cannon  in  carts  !"  cried 
Henry.  "  How  very  odd  !  When  I  went 
to  the  review  at  Woolwich  with  papa,  I 
saw  a  great  many  cannon,  but  they  had  four 
wheels ;  and  sometimes  they  stopped  and 
took  off  two  wheels,  and  down  fell  the  two 
sides  of  a  sort  of  carriage  the  cannon  was 
fixed  to — unlimbering,  I  recollect,  they  call- 
ed that — and  these  kept  the  other  wheels 
steady  when  they  fired — and  then  present- 
ly the  fore  wheels  were  put  on  again — oh, 
so  quick  ! — and  away  the  horses  went,  gal- 
loping, galloping,  and  the  gunners  jumped 
up  in  front,  and  sat  on  a  sort  of  box,  where 


120  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

they  kept  their  powder  and  ball ;  but  they 
could  never  have  put  cannon  and  all  in  a 
cart — besides,  why  should  they  put  it  in  a 
cart  when  it  has  wheels  of  its  own  ?" 

"  The  cannon  used  in  Van  Artavelde's 
days,"  replied  uncle  Rupert,  "  were  very 
unlike  what  are  now  in  use.  They  had 
no  wheels,  or  very  small  ones,  and  were 
obliged  to  be  carried  in  carts  or  wagons. 
The  Ghent  men  filled  two  hundred  carts 
with  cannon  and  ammunition,  and  only 
seven  with  provisions  ;  that  is,  five  with 
bread,  and  two  with  wine  :  there  were  but 
two  tuns  of  wine  in  the  town.  You  may 
judge  from  this  to  what  straits  they  had 
been  reduced. 

"  The  parting  with  their  friends  who 
remained  at  home,  was  a  sad  spectacle. 
These  last .  said  to  them,  <  Good  friends, 
you  see  what  you  leave  behind  ;  but  never 
think  of  returning,  unless  you  can  do  so 
with  honour,  for  you  will  not  find  any  thing 
here.  The  moment  we  hear  of  your  de- 
feat or  death,  we  will  set  fire  to  the  town, 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  121 

and  perish  in  the  flames  like  men  in  des- 
pair.'— Those  who  were  marching  out,  re- 
plied, '  You  say  well.  Pray  to  God  for  us, 
for  we  place  our  hopes  in  Him,  and  trust 
he  will  assist  both  you  and  us  before  we  re- 
turn.' 

"  Thus  did  these  five  thousand  men  of 
Ghent  march  off  on  a  Thursday  afternoon, 
with  their  slender  stores,  and  encamp  about 
a  league  from  Ghent  ;  but  they  touched  not 
their  provisions,  contenting  themselves  with 
what  they  could  find  in  the  country.  On 
Friday  they  marched^  the  whole  day,  and 
then  meddled  not  with  their  stores  ;  but 
their  foragers  collected  a  few  things  from 
the  neighbouring  villages,  and  with  these 
they  made  shift ;  and  that  evening  they  rest- 
ed a  long  league  from  Bruges.  Here,  as  the 
ground  seemed  fitted  for  the  purpose,  they 
proposed  to  wait  for  their  enemies.  On 
one  side  they  were  secured  by  extensive 
marshes,  and  on  the  other  they  fortified 
themselves  with  the  carriages ;  and  thus 
they  passed  the  night. 


122  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

"  And  here,  I  think,  we  must  for  the  pres- 
ent leave  them,  for  my  story  is  too  long  to 
conclude  to-night." 

"  Dear  uncle,"  cried  Clara,  "  I  declare 
you  are  very  tantalizing.  So  we  must 
leave  these  poor  half-starved  men  to  shiv- 
er in  the  cold  fields  all  night,  and  you  will 
not  even  tell  us  whether  they  conquered  or 
not." 

"  A  capital  trial  of  patience,  Clara," 
said  her  uncle  ;  "  it  is  too  late  to  say  much 
more  to-night ;  and  if  I  went  on,  I  should 
be  obliged  to  stop  ,at  a  time  when  you 
might  be  even  more  impatient  to  hear  fur- 
ther. Be  satisfied  ;  for  it  was  a  fine  night, 
the  2d  of  May,  1382,  so  that  you  may  be 
sure  your  favourites  were  not  frozen  to 
death." 

"  Nay,  uncle,"  said  Clara,  "  do  not  call 
the  Ghent  men  my  favourites,  for  I  cannot 
say  I  much  like  them.  I  think  they  ought 
to  have  left  off  their  white  hoods  when  the 
earl  desired  it,  and  it  was  very  wrong  to 
burn  his  house." 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  123 

"  And  what  do  you  think,  uncle,  of  Phil- 
ip and  Peter  du  Bois  murdering  those  two 
poor  men  ?"  said  Henry. 

"  Assuredly,  I  cannot  justify  it,"  said 
uncle  Rupert :  "  but  in  judging  of  their  con- 
duct we  must  recollect,  that  if  the  terms  the 
deputies  had  agreed  to  had  been  accepted, 
Philip,  Peter,  and  many  of  their  compan- 
ions would  have  lost  their  lives,  and  would 
have  been  sacrificed  merely  for  doing  what 
their  fellow-citizens  had  desired  of  them. 
The  richer  part  of  the  citizens  made  but  a 
poor  figure  throughout  all  their  troubles. 
When  first  the  white-hoods  appeared,  it 
was  their  duty  to  have  interfered  to  pre- 
vent their  lawless  actions ;  but  as  the  dis- 
turbance of  the  Bruges  canal  diggers  hap- 
pened to  be  very  convenient,  they  were  con- 
tent to  let  the  white-hoods  run  the  risk, 
while  they  enjoyed  the  advantage  ;  and  if 
the  enterprise  had  been  unsuccessful  they 
would  have  been  the  first  to  cry  out  against 
them. 

"  Again,  although   they  professed  much 


124  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

horror  at  the  murder  of  the  earl's  bailiff, 
and  sought  to  excuse  themselves  from  any 
share  of  blame  on  that  account,  yet  they 
never  attempted  to  give  him  assistance,  or 
to  punish  those  concerned  in  it.  They 
could  not,  therefore,  justly  complain  that 
they  were  considered  as  responsible  for  all 
the  violence  committed  by  the  white-hoods, 
who  soon  became  their  masters,  but  it  is 
very  certain  that  John  Lyon  and  his  suc- 
cessors found  the  most  willing  followers  in 
the  poorer  classes  of  citizens,  who  wished 
to  destroy  all  those  placed  above  them 
either  by  rank  or  riches." 

"  Did  not  the  insurrection  in  England 
under  Wat  Tyler  take  place  about  the  same 
time  as  the  events  you  have  been  relating?" 
asked  mamma. 

"  It  did,"  replied  uncle  Rupert :  "  that 
occurred  in  the  month  of  June,  1381,  just  a 
twelvemonth  before  the  time  to  which  we 
have  brought  our  friends  of  Ghent.  Do 
you  remember  any  thing  of  Wat  Tyler, 
Henry  ?" 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  125 

"Yes,  uncle,"  said  Henry;  a  I  remember 
that  he  and  a  great  many  other  people 
assembled  and  marched  to  London,  de- 
manding that  some  taxes  which  were  very 
oppressive — I  remember  one  in  particular, 
a  poll-tax,  or  a  payment  of  so  much  a  head 
— should  be  taken  off;  and  they  demanded 
some  other  things,  which  I  do  not  remem- 
ber. And  King  Richard  met  them  in 
Smithfield,  and  Wat  Tyler  was  insolent, 
and  Sir  William  Walworth,  the  lord  mayor 
of  London,  killed  him ;  and  then  King 
Richard  rode  up  to  the  people,  and  told 
them  not  to  be  cast  down  for  the  loss  of 
their  leader,  that  he  would  be  their  lead- 
er instead  ;  and  then  he  led  them  to  Black- 
heath,  and  granted  them  all  that  they 
asked." 

"  Very  fairly  remembered,  my  boy,"  said 
uncle  Rupert ;  "  but  you  might  as  well 
have  added  that  King  Richard  never 
meant  to  keep  his  word ;  but  as  soon 
as  the  people  dispersed,  gathered  a  large 
army,  seized  and  punished  many  of  them, 


126  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

and  revoked  all  his  grants.  The  most  im- 
portant demands  made  by  Wat  Tyler  and 
his  men,  were  the  abolition  of  the  bondage 
or  slavery  in  which  most  of  the  agricultural 
labourers  were  still  held  ;  and  of  the  op- 
pressive services  which  were  exacted  by 
the  barons  and  other  great  landholders 
from  all  their  tenants  under  the  degree  of 
gentlemen  ;  such  as  giving  so  many  days' 
service  in  the  year  ;  getting  in  the  lord's 
harvest,  although  their  own  might  be  spoil- 
ing; and  many  others  much  worse,  but 
which  I  cannot  now  enumerate  to  you. 
These  causes  had  created  a  deep  hatred 
in  the  minds  of  the  common  people  against 
the  nobles  and  gentry,  not  only  in  England 
and  Flanders,  but  all  over  France.  During 
the  whole  time  of  the  Ghent  wars  there 
were  continual  insurrections  in  Paris  and 
other  French  cities  ;  and  about  thirty  years 
before,  the  peasants  in  Beauvais,  Brie 
upon  the  river  Maine,  in  the  Laonnois,  and 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Soissons,  made  one 
of  the  most  frightful  outbreaks  that  ever 
occurred." 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  127 

11  Oh  !  pray  tell  us  about  it,  uncle,"  cried 
Clara,  "  and  I  will  forgive  you  for  leaving 
the  poor  Ghent  men  all  night  in  the  fields." 

"Indeed,  Miss  Impertinence!"  said  uncle 
Rupert,  laughing.  "  Well,  if  you  will  turn 
to  the  map  of  France,  and  look  for  Beau- 
vais,  Brie  on  the  Maine,  and  Soissons,  I  will 
indulge  you,  for  there  is  not  much  to  tell, 
and  some  things  they  did  are  too  shocking 
for  me  to  repeat. 

"What  particular  circumstance  first  caused 
the  people  to  rise  I  do  not  know,  but  about 
a  hundred  collected  in  the  month  of  May, 
1328,  and  having  determined  that  all  the 
nobles,  knights,  and  squires  of  France  dis- 
graced and  ruined  the  kingdom,  and  that  it 
would  be  an  excellent  thing  if  they  were  all 
destroyed,  they  proceeded  to  accomplish 
their  purpose ;  and  although  only  armed 
with  knives,  or  staves  shod  with  iron,  they 
marched  to  the  house  of  a  knight  who  lived 
near,  and  breaking  it  open,  murdered  the 
knight,  his  lady,  and  all  the  children,  both 
great  and  small,  and  then  burned  the  house. 


128  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

Their  numbers  quickly  increased,  till  they 
amounted  to  many  thousands.  They  chose 
a  captain,  whom  they  called  their  king;  his 
real  name  was  Guillaume  Caillet,  but  he  was 
called  by  them  Jacques  Bonhomme,  or  Good- 
man James,  and  from  this  nickname  the 
rioters  were  called  the  Jacquerie. 

"  They  traversed  the  country,  destroying 
every  where  the  houses  of  all  the  gentlemen, 
and  committing  the  most  horrible  atrocities. 
I  will  only  relate  one  instance,  which  will 
give  you  an  idea  of  what  these  wretches 
were  capable.  They  murdered  a  knight, 
and  having  fastened  his  dead  body  to  a  spit, 
roasted  it  before  the  eyes  of  his  wife  and 
children,  and  after  forcing  his  wife  to  eat 
some  of  her  husband's  flesh,  dashed  out  her 
brains. 

"  The  king  of  Navarre,  and  many  knights 
and  gentlemen,  attacked  them,  and  slew  a 
great  many ;  but  they  were  entirely  crushed 
by  the  Earl  of  Foix,  and  his  cousin,  the 
Captal  of  Buch,  two  of  the  most  renowned 
knights  of  the  time,  who,  hearing  on  their 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  129 

return  from  an  expedition  to  Prussia,  that 
the  Duchess  of  Normandy,  the  Duchess  of 
Orleans,  and  three  hundred  other  ladies  had 
taken  refuge  in  the  town  of  Meaux,  deter- 
mined to  go  and  protect  them ;  and  it  was 
well  they  did  so,  for  full  nine  thousand  of 
these  Jacquerie  were  marching  there,  little 
suspecting  what  was  to  befall  them.  The 
gates  were  opened  to  them,  and  they  were 
permitted  to  march  on  till  they  reached 
the  market-place,  when  the  knights,  who 
were  drawn  up  there  ready  to  receive  them, 
with  their  men,  (altogether  about  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  in  number,)  rushed  upon 
the  Jacquerie,  who,  when  they  felt  the 
weight  of  their  blows,  began  to  give  back, 
and,  through  fear,  turned  about  so  fast  that 
they  fell  one  over  the  other.  The  towns- 
people then  rushed  out  upon  them,  drove 
them  before  them,  striking  them  down  like 
beasts,  and  cleared  the  town  of  them,  (for 
they  kept  neither  their  ranks  nor  any  sort  of 
order,)  slaying  so  many  that  they  were  tired. 
They  killed  full  seven  thousand,  flinging 

7 


130  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE- 

numbers  of  them  into  the  river ;  and  none 
would  have  escaped,  had  they  chosen  to 
pursue  them  further. 

"  When  the  men-at-arms  returned  from 
the  chase,  they  drove  all  the  peasants  they 
could  find  into  the  town,  shut  them  up  there, 
set  fire  to  it,  and  burned  all  together.  Jacques 
Bonhomme  was  taken  alive,  and  sent  to  the 
Dauphin,  who,  understanding  that  he  had 
called  himself  a  king,  caused  him  to  be 
crowned  with  a  trivet,  or  the  three-legged 
frame  of  an  iron  skellet,  redhot,  and  so  to 
be  hanged,  in  requital  of  all  his  barbarous 
cruelties.  But,  truly,  the  punishment  was 
as  horrible  as  the  wickedness  it  was  intended 
to  avenge.  It  is  a  terrible  proof  of  the  bar- 
barism that  still  disgraced  a  period  which,  in 
some  particulars,  was  one  of  considerable 
refinement ;  and  the  remembrance  of  such 
events  gives  us  fresh  cause  to  bless  the  good- 
ness of  God  to  us,  whom  he  has  sent  into 
the  world  in  happier  days. 

"  And  now,  Henry,  bring  me  my  coat,  for 
it  is  getting  late,  and  I  must  be  going." 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  131 


FOURTH  EVENING. 


PHILIP  VAN  ARTAVELDE. 

Battle  of  Bruges — Danger  of  the  Earl  of  Flanders — Philip  Van 
Artavelde  governs  all  Flanders — Siege  of  Oudenarde — Battle 
of  Rosebecque — Death  of  Philip — The  War  continued — 
Peace  concluded  between  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  and  the 
Ghent  Men. 

"Now  Clara,"  said  uncle  Rupert,  as  he 
took  his  station  by  the  fireside,  "  you  shall 
be  satisfied  as  to  the  fate  of  the  poor  Ghent 
men. 

"  Saturday  morning,  which  you  will  re- 
collect was  the  3d  of  May,  1382,  was  a  fine 
bright  day.  Philip,  before  giving  any  other 
directions,  ordered  his  whole  army  to  pay 
their  devotions  to  God,  and  masses  to  be 
said  in  different  places,  (for  with  them  were 
several  priests  and  monks,)  that  every  man 
should  confess  himself,  and  make  other  be- 
coming preparations,  and  that  they  should 


132  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

pray  to  God  with  such  truth  as  is  felt  by 
people  looking  alone  to  Him  for  mercy." 

"  I  do  not  clearly  understand  what  you 
mean  by  masses  and  confessing,  uncle,"  said 
Henry.  "  I  remember  your  speaking  of  con- 
fessing before,  when  you  told  us  of  the  speech 
Philip  made  to  the  people  ;  but  I  did  not  like 
to  interrupt  you  just  then." 

"  The  mass,  my  dear,"  replied  uncle  Ru- 
pert, "  means,  properly,  the  administration 
of   the   sacrament  of   the    Lord's    Supper, 
which  always  forms  a  part  of  the  ordinary 
public  worship  in  Roman  Catholic  churches. 
The  Roman  Catholics  believe  that  if  they, 
with  true  repentance,  confess  their  sins  to  a 
priest,  he  has  power,  as  the  minister  of  God, 
to  declare  them  in  God's  name  pardoned ; 
and  thus  it  is  the  custom  with  them  to  con- 
fess and  obtain  pardon,  or  absolution  as  it  is 
termed,  before  going  into  battle,  or  encoun- 
tering any  other  great  danger.     If  the  sins 
committed  have  been  very  great,  the  priest 
orders  the  person  confessing  to  submit  to 
such  punishment  as  he  shall  direct,  such  as 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  133 

fasting,  going  on  pilgrimages  to  the  tombs 
of  holy  men  who  have  been  long  dead,  and 
for  their  pious  lives  on  earth  are  believed  by 
them  to  be  now  saints  in  heaven;  whipping 
themselves,  or  wearing  hair  shirts ;  and  many 
other  things,  before  he  will  pronounce  them 
absolved  from  their  sins.  We,  you  know, 
do  not  believe  that  any  man  (for  a  priest, 
although  the  teacher  of  God's  word,  is  but 
a  mere  man  like  ourselves)  has  power  to 
declare  that  God  has  pardoned  the  sins  of 
another.  But  we  cannot  stop  now  to  talk 
more  on  this  subject.  It  is  sufficient  for  you 
to  know  what  is  meant  by  mass  and  con- 
fession. 

"  Mass  was  celebrated  in  seven  different 
places,  and  after  mass  sermons  were 
preached,  which  lasted  an  hour  and  a  half, 
in  which  the  preachers  compared  the  Ghent 
men  to  the  people  of  Israel,  and  the  Earl 
of  Flanders  to  Pharaoh.  After  the  sermons 
Philip  assembled  all  his  men  round  a  small 
hill,  on  which  he  placed  himself,  and  made 
a  speech  to  them,  in  which  he  encouraged 


134  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

them  to  fight  valiantly,  and  reminded  them 
that,  if  they  were  worsted,  they  had  no 
place  to  seek  shelter  in,  for  it  was  use- 
less to  think  of  ever  returning  to  Ghent  un- 
less victorious.  He  concluded  by  saying, 
'  My  good  friends,  you  see  here  all  your 
provision ;  divide  it  amoung  you  fairly,  like 
brethren,  without  any  disturbance ;  for 
when  it  is  gone  you  must  conquer  if  you 
wish  to  live.5 

"  At  these  words  they  drew  up  very  reg- 
ularly and  unloaded  the  carts,  when  the 
bags  of  bread  were  given  out  to  be  divided 
by  companies,  and  the  two  tuns  of  wine 
placed  on  their  bottoms  ;  and  then  they 
moderately  breakfasted,  each  man  having 
a  sufficiency  at  that  time ;  after  which 
breakfast  they  found  themselves  more  de- 
termined and  active  on  their  feet  than  if 
they  had  eaten  more.  This  repast  being 
over,  they  put  themselves  in  order,  and  re- 
tired within  their  ribeaudeaus.  These 
ribeaudeaus  were  tall  stakes,  with  points 
shod  with  iron,  which  they  were  always 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  135 

accustomed  to  carry  with  them  ;  they  fixed 
them  in  front  of  their  army,  and  enclosed 
themselves  within. 

"  Meantime  three  knights  had  been  sent 
out  of  Bruges  to  view  the  Ghent  men,  and 
returning  to  the  earl,  made  a  report  of 
what  they  had  seen ;  when  the  earl  deter- 
mined to  attack  the  enemy,  and  ordered 
the  soldiers  and  townsmen  to  make  ready. 
Full  forty  thousand  men,  horse  and  foot, 
marched  out  of  Bruges :  but  it  was  late  in 
the  afternoon,  near  sunset,  when  they  ar- 
rived opposite  the  Ghent  men.  The  earl 
was  advised  not  to  fight  then,  but  to  wait 
till  morning,  when  the  Ghent  men  would  be 
weakened  by  want  of  food  ;  but  the  men  of 
Bruges  would  not  wait,  and  began  to  shoot 
arrows  and  fire  cannons.  The  Ghent  men 
being  collected  on  an  eminence,  fired  at 
once  three  hundred  cannon  ;  after  which 
they  marched  round  the  marsh  that  lay  in 
their  front,  and  placed  the  men  of  Bruges 
with  the  sun  in  their  eyes,  which  much 
distressed  them,  and  then  fell  upon  them, 


136  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

shouting  out,  'Ghent!'  The  moment  the 
men  of  Bruges  heard  the  cannon  and  the 
cry  of  '  Ghent,'  and  saw  them  marching  to 
attack  them  in  front,  they,  like  cowards, 
opened  their  ranks,  and  letting  the  Ghent 
men  pass  without  making  any  defence,  flung 
down  their  staves  and  run  away.  The 
Ghent  men  were  in  close  order,  and,  per- 
ceiving their  enemies  were  defeated,  began 
to  strike  them  down,  and  kill  on  all  sides. 
They  advanced  with  a  quick  step,  shout- 
ing '  Ghent,'  and  saying,  '  let  us  pursue 
our  enemies,  who  are  defeated,  and  enter 
the  town  with  them  ;  God  eyes  us  this  day 
with  looks  of  pity.' 

"  When  the  Earl  of  Flanders  and  the 
men-at-arms  saw  that,  by  the  miserable 
defence  of  the  men  of  Bruges,  they  had 
caused  their  own  defeat,  and  that  there 
was  not  any  remedy  for  it,  for  every  man 
was  running  away  as  fast  as  he  could,  they 
were  much  surprised,  and  began  to  be 
alarmed  for  themselves,  and  to  make  off  in 
different  directions.     It  is  true,  that  had  they 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  137 

seen  any  probability  of  recovering  the  loss 
which  the  Bruges  men  were  suffering,  they 
would  have  done  some  deeds  of  arms,  by 
which  they  might  have  rallied  them  a  little  ; 
but  they  saw  it  was  hopeless,  for  they  were 
flying  to  Bruges  in  all  directions,  and  neither 
the  son  waited  for  the  father,  nor  the  fa- 
ther for  his  son. 

"  The  men-at-arms  broke  their  ranks, 
and  the  earl  was  obliged  to  fly,  and  reached 
Bruges  with  only  forty  of  his  men.  He 
ordered  the  gates  to  be  well  defended,  and 
issued  a  proclamation  for  all  the  inhabitants 
to  assemble  in  the  market-place  ;  but  before 
this  could  be  done  the  Ghent  men  had  en- 
tered the  town  with  the  fugitives,  and  in- 
stantly made  for  the  market-place,  where 
they  drew  themselves  up  in  array. 

"  Sir  Robert  Marischaut,  one  of  the  earl's 
knights,  had  been  sent  to  the  gates  to  see 
that  they  were  guarded  ;  but  while  the  earl 
was  planning  means  for  defence  of  the 
town,  he  found  a  gate  flung  off  its  hinges, 
and  the  Ghent  men  masters  of  it.     Some 


138  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDL. 

of  the  citizens  said  to  him,  '  Robert,  Robert, 
return  and  save  yourself  if  you  can,  for  the 
Ghent  men  have  taken  the  town.'  The 
knight  returned  as  speedily  as  he  could  to 
the  earl,  whom  he  met  coming  out  of  his  pal- 
ace on  horseback,  with  a  number  of  torches. 
The  knight  told  him  what  he  had  heard  ;  but, 
notwithstanding  this,  the  earl,  anxious  to  de- 
fend the  town,  advanced  towards  the  mar- 
ket-place, and  as  he  was  entering  it  with  a 
number  of  torches,  shouting  <  Flanders  for  the 
Lion  !  Flanders  for  the  Earl !'  those  near 
him  seeing  the  place  full  of  Ghent  men,  said, 
'  My  lord,  return  ;  for  if  you  advance  further 
you  will  be  slain,  or,  at  the  best,  made  priso- 
ner by  your  enemies,  as  they  are  drawn  up 
in  the  square,  and  are  waiting  for  you.' 

"  They  told  him  the  truth  ;  for  the  Ghent 
men,  seeing  the  great  blaze  of  torches  in 
the  street,  said,  '  Here  comes  my  lord,  here 
comes  the  earl ;  now  he  falls  into  our  hands!' 
Philip  had  given  orders  to  his  men,  that  if 
the  earl  should  come,  every  care  was  to  be 
taken  to  preserve  him  from  harm,  in  order 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 


139 


that  he  might  be  carried  alive  and  in  good 
health  to  Ghent,  when  they  should  be  able 
to  obtain  what  peace  they  chose.  The  earl, 
who  hoped  to  be  able  easily  to  retrieve  all 
his  losses,  was  advancing,  when  he  was 
met  by  some  men  of  the  town,  very  near 
the  place  where  the  Ghent  men  were  drawn 
up,  who  said  to  him,  '  Ha !  my  lord,  go  no 
further,  for  the  Ghent  men  are  masters  of 
the  market-place  and  the  town  ;  you  are  a 
dead  man  if  you  enter  the  market-place, 
and  elsewhere  you  are  in  danger ;  for  large 
parties  of  the  Ghent  men  are  seeking  their 
enemies  from  street  to  street ;  and  there 
are  even  many  of  the  men  of  Bruges  in 
their  company,  who  point  out  the  houses 
where  those  they  seek  are  to  be  met  with. 
You  must  take  the  greatest  precautions  to 
save  yourself;  for  you  cannot  pass  the  gates 
without  being  slain  or  taken,  for  the  Ghent 
men  are  in  possession  of  them ;  nor  can 
you  return  to  your  palace,  for  a  large  body 
of  Ghent  men  are  gone  thither.' 

M  The  earl  was  very  much  alarmed  when 


140  PHILIF    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

he  found  he  was  in  such  danger,  and  re- 
solved to  follow  the  advice  he  had  received, 
and  to  go  no  further.  He  ordered  the  torches 
to  be  extinguished,  and  said  to  them  about 
him,  c  I  see  it  is  impossible  to  remedy  this 
mishap.  I  therefore  give  permission  for 
every  one  to  depart,  and  save  himself  in  the 
best  manner  he  can.'  His  orders  were 
obeyed.  The  torches  were  put  out  and 
thrown  down,  and  all  who  were  in  company 
with  the  earl  separated  and  went  away. 
He  himself  went  into  a  by-street,  where  he 
was  disarmed  by  his  servant ;  he  then  put 
on  the  man's  long  riding  cloak  and  sent  him 
away. 

"  The  earl  .thus  remained  alone  in  the 
greatest  danger.  He  wandered  from  street 
to  street  till  a  late  hour,  carefully  avoiding 
the  parties  of  Ghent  men  who  were  running 
over  the  town,  searching  every  house  for 
friends  of  the  earl.  At  length,  quite  wearied 
out,  he  entered  the  house  of  a  poor  woman 
— not  the  palace  of  a  great  lord,  with  halls 
and  spacious  chambers,  but  a  small,  poor, 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  141 

dirty  house,  all  black  with  the  smoke  of  the 
peat-fire  ;  there  was  only  in  this  place  one 
poor  chamber,  over  which  was  a  sort  of  gar- 
ret that  was  entered  by  means  of  a  ladder 
of  seven  steps,  where,  on  a  miserable  bed, 
the  children  of  this  woman  lay. 

"  The  earl  entered  the  house  with  fear 
and  trembling,  and  said  to  the  woman,  who 
was  also  much  frightened :  '  Woman,  save 
me;  I  am  thy  lord,  the  Earl  of  Flanders; 
but  at  this  moment  I  must  hide  myself,  for 
my  enemies  are  in  pursuit  of  me,  and  I  will 
handsomely  reward  thee  for  the  favour  thou 
showest  me.'  The  poor  woman  knew  him 
well,  for  she  had  frequently  received  alms  at 
his  door,  and  had  often  seen  him  pass  and 
repass,  when  he  was  going  to  some  amuse- 
ment or  hunting.  She  was  ready  with  her 
answers,  all  which  were  of  the  greatest  ser- 
vice to  the  earl ;  for  had  she  hesitated  ever 
so  little,  the  earl  would  have  been  discovered 
talking  to  her  by  the  fireside.  '  My  lord,' 
said  she,  '  mount  the  ladder,  and  get  under 
the  bed  in  which  my  children  sleep.'     This 


142  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

he  did,  while  she  remained  by  the  fire  rock- 
ing another  of  the  children  in  a  cradle.  The 
earl  mounted  the  ladder  as  quickly  as  he 
could,  and  getting  between  the  straw  which 
formed  the  bed  and  the  coverlet,  hid  himself, 
and  contracted  his  body  into  as  little  space 
as  possible.  He  had  scarcely  done  so,  when 
some  of  the  mob  of  Ghent  entered  the  house, 
for  one  of  them  said  he  had  seen  a  man  go 
in  there.  They  found  this  woman  sitting 
by  the  fire  rocking  the  cradle,  of  whom  they 
demanded,  ;  Woman,  where  is  the  man  we 
saw  enter  this  house,  and  shut  the  door  after 
him  ?' — '  By  my  troth,'  replied  she,  '  I  have 
not  seen  any  one  enter  here  this  night ;  but 
I  have  just  been  at  the  door  to  throw  out 
some  water,  and  1  shut  it  after  me;  besides, 
I  have  not  any  place  to  hide  him  in,  for  you 
see  the  whole  of  the  house  ;  here  is  my  bed, 
and  my  children  sleep  overhead.' — Upon 
this,  one  of  them  took  a  candle,  and  mount- 
ed the  ladder,  and  thrusting  his  head  into 
the  place,  saw  nothing  but  the  wretched 
bed  in  which  the  children  were  asleep.     He 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  143 

looked  all  about  him,  above  and  below,  and 
then  said  to  his  companions,  f  Come,  come, 
let  us  go,  we  only  lose  our  time  here ;  the 
poor  woman  speaks  truth ;  there  is  not  a 
soul  but  herself  and  children.' — So  saying, 
they  left  the  house  and  went  away,  and  no 
one  afterwards  entered  it  with  bad  inten- 
tions. 

"  The  Earl  of  Flanders,  who  heard  all 
that  passed  as  he  lay  hid,  was,  as  may  easi- 
ly be  imagined,  in  the  greatest  fear  for  his 
life.  In  the  morning  he  could  have  said  he 
was  one  of  the  most  powerful  princes  in 
Christendom,  but  that  night  he  felt  himself 
one  of  the  smallest.  It  may  truly  be  said 
that  the  fortunes  of  this  world  are  not  stable, 
and  this  miraculous  escape  should  have  been 
remembered  by  him  all  his  life." 

"  Did  he  contrive  to  get  out  of  the  town  ?" 
said  Clara. 

"  Yes,"  replied  uncle  Rupert.  "  On  the 
Sunday  evening,  when  it  was  dark,  he  es- 
caped from  Bruges ;  but  Froissart  says  that 
he  was  ignorant  how  he  accomplished  it,  or 


144  PHILIP    VAN    ARfTAVELDE. 

whether  he  had  assistance  ;  but  he  supposes 
he  could  not  have  done  it  had  he  not  been 
aided  by  persons  in  the  town.  He  got  out 
on  foot,  and  when  he  reached  the  open  fields 
he  felt  quite  joyous,  as  he  might  then  say  he 
had  escaped  the  greatest  peril.  He  wandered 
about  at  first,  and  came  to  a  thornbush,  to 
consider  whither  he  should  go;  for  he  w7as 
unacquainted  with  the  paths  and  country, 
having  never  before  travelled  on  foot.  As 
he  lay  thus,  hid  under  the  bush,  he  heard  a 
voice  which  he  knew  to  be  that  of  one  of 
his  knights,  the  same  Robert  Mareschaut 
whom  he  had  sent  to  the  gates  of  Bruges. 
The  earl  called  out  to  him,  l  Robert,  art 
thou  there  ?'  The  knight,  who  knew  him 
at  once,  replied,  '  Ah !  my  lord,  I  have  had 
much  trouble  in  seeking  for  you  all  round 
Bruges.  How  have  you  contrived  to  es- 
cape ?' — '  Come,  come,  Robert,'  said  the 
earl,  i  this  is  not  a  time  to  tell  one's  adven- 
tures ;  endeavour  to  get  me  a  horse,  for  1 
am  tired  with  walking,  and  take  the  road  to 
Lille,  if  thou  knowest  it.' — '  My  lord,'  an- 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  145 

swered  the  knight,  '  1  know  it  well.' — They 
then  travelled  all  that  night,  but  could  not 
find  a  horse  till  the  morning.  The  first 
beast  thej  could  find  was  a  mare  belonging 
to  a  poor  man  in  a  village.  The  earl  mount- 
ed her,  without  saddle  or  bridle,  and  travel- 
ling all  Monday,  came  towards  evening  to 
the  castle  of  Lille,  whither  the  greater  part 
of  his  knights  who  had  escaped  from  the 
battle  of  Bruges  had  retired. — Now  we  will 
return  to  the  Ghent  men. 

"  Philip  Van  Artavelde  and  Peter  du 
Bois  committed  the  management  of  the 
Ghent  men  in  Bruges  to  Francis  Atre- 
men.  Strict  orders  were  given  that  no 
foreign  merchant  should  be  injured  in  per- 
son or  property,  and  those  were  strictly 
obeyed.  But  the  whole  vengeance  of  the 
Ghent  men  was  let  loose  on  the  four  trades 
of  jerkin-makers,  glassmen,  butchers,  and 
fishermen,  for  they  had  been  partisans  of 
the  earl.  They  were  sought  for  every 
where,  and  when  found  killed  without 
mercy.     Upwards  of  twelve  hundred  were 


146  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

slain  that  night,  and  many  murders  and 
robberies  committed  which  were  never 
known  ;  several  houses  were  pillaged,  and 
a  variety  of  wicked  deeds  done,  insomuch 
that  the  poorest  of  the  Ghent  army  became 
rich.  But  when  the  first  violence  was 
over,  Froissart  says  that  no  people  ever 
behaved  themselves  better  towards  their 
enemies  than  the  men  of  Ghent  did  to 
those  of  Bruges,  nor  conducted  themselves 
more  graciously  to  a  conquered  town. 
They  did  no  harm  to  any  of  the  small 
tradesmen,  unless  there  were  very  strong 
accusations  against  them.  When  Philip, 
Peter,  and  the  other  captains  saw  that  they 
were  completely  masters  of  the  place,  they 
issued  out  a  proclamation  in  their  name,  for 
all  persons  to  retire  to  their  houses  ;  and 
that  no  one  should  break  open  or  pillage 
any  house,  nor  attempt  to  raise  any  riot, 
under  pain  of  death. 

"  They  then  inquired  what  had  become 
of  the  earl.  Some  said  he  had  left  the 
town  on   Saturday  night ;  others,  that  he 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  147 

was  yet  in  Bruges,  so  closely  hid  that  he 
could  not  be  found.  The  captains  of  the 
Ghent  army  paid  no  great  attention  to 
him ;  for  they  were  so  rejoiced  at  their 
victory,  that  they  thought  nothing  of  any 
earl,  baron,  or  knight  in  Flanders,  and 
looked  on  themselves  as  so  mighty,  that 
all  the  world  must  obey  them.  They 
next  thought  of  sending  provisions  to 
Ghent,  for  they  had  left  neither  corn  nor 
wine  in  the  town.  They  instantly  sent  a 
large  party  to  Damme  and  Sluys,  to  gain 
those  towns  and  the  provision  that  was  in 
them,  in  order  to  supply  their  fellow-citi- 
zens in  Ghent.  On  the  detachment  arriv- 
ing at  Damme,  the  gates  were  thrown 
open,  and  the  town,  with  all  in  it,  surren- 
dered. They  ordered  out  of  the  cellars 
the  fine  wines  of  Poitou,  Gascony,  and  La 
Rochelle,  and  from  other  distant  countries, 
to  the  amount  of  six  thousand  tuns,  which 
they  loaded  on  carriages,  and  sent,  partly 
by  land  and  partly  by  boats,  on  the  river 
Lys  to  Ghent. 


148  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

"  They  then  marched  on  to  Sluys,  which 
instantly    submitted  to  them,   and  opened 
its  gates.     They  found  there  great  quanti- 
ties of  casks  of  corn  and  flour,  in  ships  and 
in    the    storehouses  of  foreign    merchants, 
and  having  paid  for  the  whole,  sent  it  by 
land  and  water  to  Ghent.     '  Thus,'  says  Sir 
John,  '  was  Ghent  delivered  from  famine, 
through  the  mercy  of  God.     It  could  not 
have  happened  otherwise ;  and  well  ought 
the  Ghent  men  to  have  remembered  it ;  for 
that  God  assisted  them  is  very  clear,  when 
five  thousand  famished  men  defeated  forty 
thousand,   even     before   their    own    doors. 
They  and  their  leaders  ought  to  have  hum- 
bled themselves  ;  however  they  did  not,  but 
rather  increased  their  pride,  insomuch  that 
God   was   angered   with   them,  and   pun- 
ished their  folly  before  the  year  had   ex- 
pired, as  shall  be  related  in   the  course  of 
this  history,  for  an  example  to  the  rest  of 
the  world.' 

"  All   Flanders    now   submitted   to    the 
government  of  Philip  Van  Artavelde,  who 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  149 

kept   the  state  of  a  prince.     He  had  his 
minstrels  to  play  before  him  at  his  dinners 
and  suppers,  and  was  served  on  plate  as 
if  he   had  been  Earl  of  Flanders ;  for  he 
had  possessed  himself  of  all  the  plate,  both 
gold  and  silver,  that  had  belonged  to  the 
earl,  as  well  as  the  jewels  and  furniture  of 
his    apartments   found   in    his    palace   at 
Bruges.     He  kept  a  magnificent  establish- 
ment of  horses,  and  was  as  grand  in   his 
house   as   the   Earl  of  Flanders  at  Lille. 
He   had  his  officers  throughout  Flanders, 
such   as  bailiffs,    governors,   receivers,  and 
sergeants,  who  every  week  brought  consid- 
erable sums  to   Ghent,  where  he  kept  his 
state,    and   was    clothed    in    scarlet   robes 
lined  with  furs,  like  the  Duke  of  Brabant 
or  Earl  of  Hainault.     He  had  also  his  ex- 
chequer   chamber,  where  the   money  was 
paid  as  to  the  earl ;  and  he  gave  dinners 
and  suppers  to  the  ladies  and  damsels  of 
Ghent,  as  the  earl  used  to  do ;  and,  like 
him,  was  not  more  sparing  of  his    money 
where  his  pleasures  were  concerned.    When 


150  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

he  wrote,  he  signed  himself  *  Philip  Van 
Artavelde,  protector  of  Flanders.' 

"  Only  two  towns  still  held  out  for  the 
Earl  of  Flanders,  who  was  completely  dis- 
possessed of  all  the  rest  of  the  country. 
These  were  Lille,  where  the  earl  resided, 
and  Oudenarde,  which  was  strongly  fortifi- 
ed, and  into  which  the  earl  had  sent  all  the 
best  soldiers  he  could  gather  together,  and 
had  placed  it  under  the  care  of  a  very  brave 
and  skilful  commander,  named  Daniel  de 
Haluyn. 

"  Philip  Van  Artavelde  resolved  on  taking 
Oudenarde,  and,  accordingly,  after  com- 
mitting the  charge  of  Bruges  to  Peter  du 
Bois,  he  collected  an  army  of  a  hundred 
thousand  men,  and  marched  thither.  He 
made  many  attacks  on  the  place,  but  with- 
out any  success,  for  neither  he  nor  any  of 
his  captains  had  much  knowledge  of  the 
art  of  taking  walled  cities.  Indeed  Frois- 
sart  laughs  at  him,  and  says  he  knew  much 
better  how  to  fish  with  a  rod  and  line  in  the 
Scheldt  and  Lys,  than  to  attack  a  fortress. 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  151 

Finding  that  he  could  make  no  impression 
on  the  town,  he  surrounded  it  on  the  land 
side  with  his  troops ;  and  as  the  Ghent  men 
had  the  command  of  the  river,  and  had,  be- 
sides, driven  large  stakes  into  its  bed  to 
prevent  the  approach  of  any  vessels,  he  ef- 
fectually prevented  the  people  in  the  town 
from  receiving  any  supplies,  hoping  thus 
to  starve  them  into  submission.  But  as 
they  had  plenty  of  provisions,  they  held  out 
stoutly. 

"  The  camp  before  Oudenarde  presented 
a  curious  scene,  for  the  Ghent  men  carried 
on  their  business  there  as  if  they  had  been 
at  home.  They  had  halls  for  cloth,  furs, 
and  merceries.  Every  Saturday  was  the 
market,  to  which  were  brought,  from  the 
neighbouring  villages,  all  sorts  of  groceries, 
fruits,  butter,  milk,  cheese,  poultry,  and 
other  things.  There  were  taverns,  as  plenty 
as  at  Brussels,  where  Rhenish  wines,  and 
those  of  France,  Malmsey,  and  other  for- 
eign wines  were  sold  cheap.  Every  one 
might  go  thither,  and  pass  and  repass  with- 


152  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

out  peril ;  that  is  to  say,  of  Brabant,  Hain- 
ault,  Germany,  and  Liege,  but  not  those  of 
France. 

"  Whilst  the  army  lay  before  Oudenarde, 
parties  were  continually  going  out,  who 
burned  and  destroyed  all  the  gentlemen's 
houses  in  the  country.  Amongst  others, 
they  plundered  a  beautiful  house  belonging 
to  the  earl,  called  Marie,  where  he  had 
been  born  ;  and  as  if  they  were  desirous  of 
doing  every  thing  to  vex  and  annoy  him, 
they  broke  the  font  in  which  he  had  been 
baptized,  battered  to  pieces  and  carried 
away  the  silver  cradle  in  which  he  had  been 
nursed,  and  the  tub  he  had  been  bathed  in 
when  an  infant.  These  things  especially 
provoked  him. 

"  These  plundering  parties  at  length  car- 
ried matters  rather  too  far,  for  on  one  of 
their  expeditions  they  went  beyond  their 
own  bounds,  and  burned  several  villages  in 
the  French  territory.  The  Earl  of  Flanders 
had  before  applied  for  help  from  France ; 
but  he  was  much  disliked  there,  and  his  re- 


3LT  ~ 


HOTEL   DE   VILLE,   OUDENARDE. 


W'^fp^^tlf 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  153 

quest  was  neglected.  But  now  the  Duke 
of  Burgundy,  who  was  the  uncle  of  the 
young  King  Charles  VI.  of  France,  and 
who,  in  right  of  his  wife,  expected  to  suc- 
ceed to  Flanders  after  the  earl's  death, 
thought  there  was  a  favourable  opportunity 
for  procuring  assistance  from  that  kingdom. 
The  young  king,  who  was  only  fourteen, 
was  delighted  at  the  idea  of  seeing  some- 
thing of  war ;  and  as  the  French  territory 
had  been  invaded,  and  it  was  no  longer  only 
the  Earl  of  Flanders'  quarrel,  his  council 
were  not  averse  to  march  against  Van  Arta- 
velde.  A  large  armament  was  quickly  as- 
sembled, and  marching  towards  Flanders. 

"  When  Philip  heard  that  the  French  had 
taken  arms  against  him,  he  ordered  all  the 
bridges  over  the  Lys  to  be  broken  down, 
and  posted  strong  bodies  of  troops  on  the 
banks,  and  hoped  by  this  means  to  check 
the  advance  of  the  French,  as  that  river 
forms  the  natural  defence  of  Flanders  on 
the  French  side,  and  is  not  fordable ;  and  it 
being  now  the  month  of  November,  he  con- 

8 


154  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

eluded  that  they  would  not  keep  the  field  or 
attempt  to  take  any  other  road  if  they  were 
disappointed  in  crossing  the  Lys,  and  that 
he  need  not  fear  any  further  disturbance 
until  the  spring.  But  the  French  forced  the 
passage  of  the  river  at  Commines,  desper- 
ately wounded  Peter  du  Bois,  who  attempt- 
ed to  oppose  them,  dispersed  his  men,  and 
marched  forward  into  the  country,  when  the 
towns  every  where  opened  their  gates  to 
them.  Philip,  who  was  still  before  Ouden- 
arde,  was  much  dispirited  at  this  intelli- 
gence, especially  as  he  had  not  yet  received 
any  aid  from  England,  whither  he  had  sent 
to  beg  for  assistance.  He  immediately 
raised  the  siege,  went  to  Ghent,  and  col- 
lected as  many  men  as  he  could  muster,  for 
the  greater  part  of  the  army  he  had  led  to 
Oudenarde  had  returned  to  their  homes ; 
and  with  them,  and  all  the  other  troops  he 
could  get  together,  amounting  in  all  to  about 
fifty  thousand  men,  he  advanced  to  meet  the 
French,  who  were  posted  between  Rollers 
and  Rosebecque,  about  a  league  and  a  half 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  155 

from  Ypres,  to  the  number  of  sixty  thousand 
men  of  all  sorts.  The  French  had  also  a 
vast  superiority  in  point  of  arms.  The  ar- 
mour of  the  greater  part  of  the  troops  was 
excellent,  and  they  carried  well-tempered 
lances  and  swords :  whereas,  the  armour  of 
the  Ghent  men  was  very  inferior ;  few  hav- 
ing more  than  a  coat  of  mail,  which  was 
but  a  feeble  protection  from  a  well-tempered 
lance  ;  and  many  being  only  furnished  with 
haquetons,  a  padded  dress  usually  worn  un- 
der the  armour ;  and  for  offensive  weapons 
they  had  only  ironheaded  pikes,  (Froissart 
calls  them  staves,  pointed  and  bound  with 
iron,)  and  large  knives  hanging  down  from 
their  girdles. 

u  They  encamped  opposite  each  other,  on 
the  evening  of  Wednesday  the  26th  of  No- 
vember, 1382,  and  waited  for  the  morning 
to  give  battle.  Philip  assembled  his  cap- 
tains to  supper,  and  made  a  speech  to  en- 
courage them.  In  the  morning  he  led  out 
his  men  before  it  was  light,  and  formed 
them  in  order  of  battle,  in  a  position  strong- 


156  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

\y  defended  by  thickets  and  bushes  ;  but  he 
afterwards  advanced  further  towards  the 
French,  and  took  his  station  on  the  top  of  a 
hill  in  the  front.  Philip  reminded  his  men 
that  they  had  won  the  battle  of  Bruges  by 
keeping  close  together,  and  he  recommended 
them  to  pursue  the  same  course  here.  He 
arranged  them  in  a  close  body,  and  ordered 
them  to  lock  their  arms  together,  so  that 
their  ranks  should  not  be  broken,  and  in 
this  position  they  awaited  the  enemy.  When 
the  French  were  drawn  out,  the  Flemings 
began  to  move,  and  after  firing  several  can- 
nons and  bombards,  which  put  the  French 
in  some  disorder,  rushed  down  upon  them, 
and,  for  a  time,  drove  them  back.  But  the 
French,  recovering,  closed  round  the  Flem- 
ings, and  attacking  them  on  the  sides,  or 
the  flanks,  as  they  are  termed  in  speaking 
of  an  army,  with  their  sharp  spears  and 
swords,  drove  them  one  upon  another  in 
such  a  manner  that  they  could  not  use  their 
weapons.  They  lost  both  strength  and 
breath,  and  falling  upon  one  another,  were 
stifled  to  death  without  striking  a  blow. 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  157 

u  Philip  Van  Artavelde  was  surrounded, 
wounded  by  spears,  and  beaten  down,  with 
numbers  of  the  Ghent  men,  who  were  his 
guards.  The  men-at-arms  struck  down  the 
Flemings  on  all  sides  with  their  well-sharp- 
ened battle-axes,  with  which  they  cut 
through  helmets  and  disbrained  heads;  oth- 
ers gave  such  blows  with  leaden  maces,  that 
nothing  could  withstand  them.  Scarcely 
were  the  Flemings  overthrown,  before  the 
pillagers  advanced,  who,  mixing  with  the 
men-at-arms,  made  use  of  the  large  knives 
they  carried,  and  finished  slaying  whoever 
fell  into  their  hands,  without  more  mercy 
than  if  they  had  been  so  many  dogs.  The 
clattering  on  the  helmets,  by  the  axes  and 
maces,  was  so  loud,  that  nothing  else  could 
be  heard  for  the  noise.  It  was  as  if  all  the 
armourers  of  Paris  had  been  working  at 
their  trade.  There  was  a  large  and  high 
mount  of  the  Flemings  who  were  slain,  and 
never  was  there  seen  so  little  blood  spilt  at 
so  great  a  battle  were  such  numbers  were 
killed.     When  those  in  the  rear  saw  the 


158  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

front  fail,  they  threw  away  their  staves  and 
armour,  and  fled  to  Courtray  and  other 
places.  The  French  followed  them  far,  and 
numbers  were  killed  in  the  pursuit. 

"  After  the  battle  there  was  a  general 
inquiry  as  to  what  had  become  of  Van  Ar- 
tavelde ;  and  the  young  king  having  ex- 
pressed a  wish  to  see  him  dead  or  alive,  a 
diligent  search  was  made,  and  his  body 
was  found  and  brought  to  the  king's  pavil- 
ion. The  king  looked  at  him  for  some 
time,  as  did  the  other  lords.  He  was 
turned  over  and  over  to  see  if  he  had  died 
of  wounds,  but  none  were  found  that  could 
have  caused  his  death.  He  had  been 
squeezed  in  the  crowd,  and  falling  into 
a  ditch,  numbers  of  Ghent  men  fell  upon 
him,  and  died  in  his  company.  When  they 
had  satisfied  their  curiosity,  he  was  taken 
away  and  hanged  on  a  tree, — a  mean  re- 
venge, unworthy  of  a  king. 

"  Such  was  the  end  of  Philip  Van  Arta- 
velde,  who  for  six  months  was  master  of 
all  Flanders,  and  paid  for  his  ambition  with 
his  life." 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  159 

"  Poor  Philip !"  said  Clara ;  "  though  I 
do  not  like  all  he  did,  yet  I  cannot  help 
pitying  him." 

"  I  suppose  after  his  death  the  Ghent 
men  did  not  venture  to  make  any  more 
war  ?"  said  Henry. 

"  At  first  they  were  in  despair,"  said  un- 
cle Rupert ;  "  but  no  sooner  did  Peter  du 
Bois,  who,  wounded  as  he  was,  caused  him- 
self to  be  carried  to  Ghent  from  Bruges, 
appear  among  them,  than  he  roused  their 
spirits,  and  under  his  guidance,  and  that  of 
Francis  Atremen,  they  maintained  them- 
selves with  various  successes  for  three  years 
longer.  During  this  time  they  received  a 
good  deal  of  assistance  from  England,  and 
an  English  governor  was  even  sent  over 
there,  which  greatly  assisted  them.  But  at 
last  the  people  became  weary  of  a  contest 
from  which  they  gained  no  advantage,  and 
which  was  ruining  the  trade  of  the  city  ; 
and  a  few  of  them,  taking  secret  counsel 
together,  (for  if  their  plans  had  come  to  the 
ears  of  Peter  du  Bois,  he  would  have  put  a 


160  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

stop  to  them,)  opened  a  communication 
with  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  who,  by  the 
death  of  the  Earl  of  Flanders,  who  died  in 
1384,  was  now  lord  of  the  country.  The 
duke  promised  a  free  and  unconditional  par- 
don to  all,  not  excepting  even  Peter  du  Bois, 
and  promised  to  confirm  all  the  privileges  of 
Ghent  and  the  other  Flemish  towns.  Mat- 
ters were  managed  so  well,  that  although 
the  good  news  was  now  known  to  great 
numbers  of  the  inhabitants,  Peter  heard 
nothing  of  it  until  the  very  evening  before 
the  day  appointed  for  delivering  up  the 
town  to  the  duke.  He  and  lord  Bouchier, 
the  English  governor,  made  an  effort  to  pre- 
vent any  reconciliation  with  the  duke,  but 
they  were  disappointed.  The  peace  was 
proclaimed.  The  duke  and  duchess  visited 
the  city,  and  a  treaty  fulfilling  all  the  duke's 
promises,  and  even  going  beyond  them,  by 
persuading  the  Duchess  of  Brabant,  the 
Regent  of  Hainault,  and  many  lords  and 
other  gentlemen  who  had  received  damage 
in  the  course  of  the  war,  to  grant  peace 


m 


wi m  ■■•■ 

1 


'Ik 


PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE.  161 

and  forgiveness  to  the  Ghent  men,  was 
signed  at  Tournay,  on  the  18th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1385.  And  now,  at  last,  the  restless 
city  of  Ghent,  and  the  country  of  Flanders, 
to  which  it  had  caused  such  great  misfor- 
tunes, once  more  enjoyed  the  blessings  of 
peace. 

"  The  English  were  dismissed  honoura- 
bly, and  Peter  du  Bois  very  wisely  deter- 
mined to  accompany  them ;  for  he  was 
afraid  that  the  relations  of  some  of  those 
whom  he  had  put  to  death  while  he  was  in 
power,  would  revenge  themselves  upon  him. 
He,  therefore,  asked  and  obtained  leave  to 
transport  himself,  his  family,  and  his  trea- 
sures— for  he  had  accumulated  much  wealth 
— to  England,  where  he  was  very  well  re- 
ceived by  King  Richard,  who  retained  him 
in  his  service,  and  granted  him  a  hundred 
marcs  yearly  revenue.  He  strongly  advised 
Francis  Atremen  to  accompany  him,  but  he 
was  obstinate ;  yet  he  would  have  done 
well  if  he  had  listened  to  Peter,  for  not 
long  after  he  was  assasinated  by  a  son  of 

8* 


162  PHILIP    VAN    ARTAVELDE. 

the  Lord  de  Harzelle,  who,  for  some  rea- 
son which  Froissart  does  not  mention,  had 
been  put  to  death  by  his  means.  Thus  we 
see  that  Peter  du  Bois,  the  most  turbulent 
of  all  the  chief  captains  of  Ghent,  was  the 
only  one  who  escaped  a  violent  death." 


JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND.  163 


FIFTH  EVENING. 


JACQUELINE  OF  HOLLAND. 

Ladies'  Head-dresses — fl  Au  Hennin" — Jacqueline  of  Holland — 
Her  unfortunate  Second  Marriage — Escapes  to  England — 
Marries  the  Duke  of  Gloucester — Is  joyfully  received  in  Hain- 
ault — Betrayed  by  the  Inhabitants  of  Mons — Her  subsequent 
Adventures,  and  Death. 

"  Well,  Clara,"  said  uncle  Rupert,  as 
he  came  softly  behind  his  little  niece,  who 
was  so  busily  engaged  at  the  workr- table 
that  she  had  not  heard  him  enter  the  room, 
"Well,  Clara,  pray  what  are  you  about 
that  interests  you  so  deeply  ?" 

"  Oh !  dear  uncle,"  said  Clara,  with  a 
start ;  "  I  really  did  not  know  you  were 
in  the  room.  Why  do  you  know,  the  baby- 
clothes  are  all  done ;  and  mamma  and  I 
went  yesterday,  and  carried  them  to  the 
poor  woman  ;  and  she  was  so  glad  to  have 
them,  and  we  were  so  glad  to  give  them, 
that  we  came  back  very  merry  indeed. 
And  do  you  know,  I  made  a  snow-ball,  and 


164  JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND. 

1  threw  it  at  mamma,  and  it  broke  all  in  a 
white  shower  over  her  cloak,  and  we  both 
laughed  so  much." 

"  But  what  is  this  ?"  said  uncle  Rupert, 
lifting  what  seemed  a  tangled  mass  of 
shreds  of  many-coloured  ribbons,  and 
holding  it  most  carefully  suspended  be- 
tween his  finger  and  thumb. 

"  Oh  !  uncle  dear,"  cried  Clara,  eagerly 
taking  it  out  of  his  hands  ;  "  you  will  spoil 
my  mamma-doll's  best  visiting  turban." 

"  Your  mamma-doll !"  said  Uucle  Ru- 
pert ;  "  what,  has  she  any  children  ?" 

"  Oh  !  yes,"  said  Clara  ;  "  she  has  six 
children  and  a  baby-house  ;  and  I  am  get- 
ting ready  her  dress  for  to-morrow,  when 
she  and  I  are  going  to  visit  cousin  Emily  ; 
and  so  you  must  not  meddle  with  my  work, 
for  I  do  not  think  you  know  much  about 
ladies'  caps." 

"  Do  I  not  ?"  said  uncle  Rupert.  «  I 
think  I  can  show  you  some  even  more  fan- 
tastic than  your  doll's  turban.  See  here, 
Clara,"  he  continued,  showing  her  the  pic- 


JACQUELINE  OF  HOLLAND.      165 

ture  you  behold  on  the  opposite  page. 
"  Do  you  not  think  I  may  set  up  for  a  man- 
milliner  ?" 

"  Oh  !  uncle,  uncle,"  cried  Clara,  "  surely 
you  do  not  mean  to  say  that  ladies  can 
wear  such  hideous  things  upon  their  heads  ? 
See  this  one,  it  is  just  like  a  pair  of  horns." 

"  Indeed  I  do,"  replied  her  uncle  ;  "  and 
they  thought  them  quite  as  beautiful  as  you 
think  your  doll's  turban.  They  ornamented 
them  with  lace  and  jewels  ;  and  although  I 
think  they  must  have  often  caused  them 
head-aches,  they  were  very  proud  of  them, 
until  at  last  they  grew  so  very  ridiculous, 
and  women  spent  such  enormous  sums  upon 
their  head-dresses,  that  every  body  began  to 
laugh  at  them,  and  even  the  little  boys  in 
the  street  used  to  ruu  after  them,  crying 
out,  4  Au  Hennin  !  Au  Hennin  !'  making  a 
sound  something  like  the  bray  of  a  donkey, 
just  as  we  say  '  Ey-au,'  when  we  mean  to 
imitate  the  same  sound ;  meaning,  I  sup- 
pose, that  the  great  peaks  of  the  caps  were 
like  asses'  ears;  so  that,  at  last,  the  poor 


166     JACQUELINE  OF  HOLLAND. 

ladies  were  fairly  laughed  out  of  their  ex- 
travagant head-dresses,  and  dressed  them- 
selves in  somewhat  better  taste." 

"  Well,  uncle,  that  is  curious  enough," 
said  Clara;  "but  I  must  go  and  bring 
Henry  to  laugh  at  their  funny  caps  ;  and, 
uncle,  I  hope  you  are  going  to  tell  us  a 
story  to-night,  for  you  know  Henry,  poor 
fellow,  goes  to  school  to-morrow,  and  there 
will  be  an  end  of  our  quiet  evenings  to- 
gether, for  I  enjoy  nothing  so  much  when 
he  is  not  here." 

"  I  am  going  away  for  several  weeks 
myself,"  said  uncle  Rupert ;  "  and  were 
Henry  likely  to  stay  longer,  I  should  not 
be  able  to  tell  you  any  more  stories.  So 
as  this  is  the  last  evening,  and  as  we  have 
been  talking  about  the  ladies,  I  will  tell 
you  a  story  of  a  young  and  beautiful  prin- 
cess, who  lived  at  the  very  time  these 
head-dresses  were  worn,  and  I  dare  say 
often  wore  such  herself,  whose  history  is 
so  extraordinary — so  filled  with  adventure, 
— that,  were  its  truth  not  well  known,  we 


JACQUELINE  OF  HOLLAND.      167 

should  be  apt  to  think   it  only  the  fancied 
tale  of  a  romance  writer." 

Clara  then  ran  to  fetch  Henry,  and 
having  brought  him  and  mamma  too,  and 
both  having  duly  admired  the  head-dresses 
"  Au  Hennin,"  uncle  Rupert  thus  began  : — 
"  Jacqueline,  the  Countess  of  Hainault, 
Holland,  Zealand,  and  Ostrevant,  was 
equally  remarkable  for  her  beauty  and  her 
mental  endowments.  She  was  one  of  the 
most  accomplished  women  of  her  time,  and 
possessed  a  spirit  that  nothing  could  sub- 
due. But  from  the  death  of  her  father  her 
life  was  one  course  of  dark  misfortune, 
with  but  few  gleams  of  sunshine  to  gladden 
it.  Seldom  has  any  young  and  beautiful 
princess  been  so  abandoned  by  the  world, 
even  by  those  who  were  bound  by  kindred 
blood  to  succour  her,  as  Jacqueline  ;  and  I 
know  of  no  instance  in  which  a  spirit  equal 
to  hers  has  faced  and  outbraved  such  cruel 
desolation. 

"  Before  I  go  further,  I  must  make  you 
understand   exactly  who   Jacqueline   was. 


168  JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND. 

Duke  Albert  of  Bavaria,  whom  I  mentioned 
before,  when  speaking  of  Van  Artavelde, 
as  earl  or  regent  of  Hainault,  left  two  sons 
— William,  to  whom  he  gave  Hainault, 
Holland,  Zealand,  and  Ostrevant ,  and 
John,  who  was  at  once  the  Prince  and 
Bishop  of  Liege,  and  had  other  possessions. 
William  married  Margaret,  daughter  of 
Philip,  duke  of  Burgundy — the  same  we 
have  spoken  of  in  the  story  of  Van  Arta- 
velde— and  dying  in  1417,  left  an  only 
child,  Jacqueline,  then  seventeen  years  old, 
who  succeeded  him  in  all  his  possessions. 
Although  so  young,  she  was  already  a  wid- 
ow, having  been  married  two  years  before  to 
the  Duke  of  Touraine,  son  of  the  King  of 
France,  a  young  prince  of  her  own  age,  who 
died  a  short  time  before  Jacqueline  lost  her 
father. 

"  Anthony,  second  son  of  Duke  Philip  of 
Burgundy,  was  created  Duke  of  Brabant. 
He  was  killed  in  1415,  at  the  battle  of 
Agincourt,  and  left  two  sons,  Philip,  who 
died  soon  after  his  father,  and  John,  who, 


JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND.  169 

on   his  brother's  death,   became    Duke  of 
Brabant,  whilst  under  age. 

"  Philip,  the  present  Duke  of  Burgundy, 
was  the  son  of  John  the  Intrepid,  uncle  of 
Jacqueline  and  of  John  of  Brabant,  and, 
consequently,  was  first-cousin  to  both  of 
them.  Jacqueline's  mother,  who  was  still 
living,  was  his  aunt,  and  John  of  Brabant's 
father,  who  was  dead,  had  been  his  uncle. 

"  Jacqueline  and  John  of  Brabant  were 
first-cousins,  and  Jacqueline  was  John's  god- 
mother. 

"  John,  the  Bishop,  who  was  a  bad  man, 
made  war  on  his  niece,  as  soon  as  her  father, 
his  own  brother,  died.  He  said  Duke  Al- 
bert, his  father,  had  not  divided  his  domin- 
ions equally,  and  that  he  ought  to  have  Hol- 
land. But  even  if  he  had  been  right,  it 
was  a  cowardly  thing  to  attack  his  niece, 
when  he  had  never  attempted  to  make  the 
claim  whilst  her  father  lived. 

"  Soon  after  this  the  Bishop  of  Liege,  al- 
though contrary  to  the  rules  of  the  church, 
married   John   of    Brabant's    mother,    and 


170     JACQUELINE  OF  HOLLAND. 

Jacqueline's  mother  now  thought  she  saw  a 
mode  of  stopping  the  war  between  the  un- 
cle and  niece.  She  thought  that  if  Jacque- 
line would  consent  to  marry  her  cousin, 
John  of  Brabant,  that  the  Bishop  would,  for 
the  sake  of  his  wife  and  her  son,  cease  to 
make  war  upon  his  niece  *  Jacqueline  very 
unwillingly  consented  to  this  arrangement. 
John  of  Brabant  was  only  fifteen  years  of 
age ;  he  was,  besides,  weak  and  disagreea- 
ble in  person,  and  his  mind  was  equally  fee- 
ble. Never  was  there  a  more  ill-matched 
pair,  and  poor  Jacqueline  soon  repented  that 
she  had  yielded  to  her  mother's  persuasions, 
and  began  to  think  that  peace  with  her  un- 
cle of  Liege  was  dearly  purchased  by  a 
union  which  caused  her  so  much  unhappi- 
ness.  At  length  she  became  so  disgusted 
with  her  young  husband's  behaviour,  in  ut- 
terly neglecting  her,  and  associating  with 
persons  far  below  him  in  station,  that  she 
resolved  on  leaving  him.  The  Duke  of 
Burgundy  and  her  mother  vainly  attempted 
to  reconcile  them;    but  they  could  never 


JACQUELINE  OF  HOLLAND.      171 

prevail. on  her  to  return  to  the  duke.  She 
declared  that  she  would  find  means  to  effect 
a  divorce,  so  that  she  might  marry  again 
with  some  other  person  who  would  pay  at- 
tentions to  her  becoming  her  rank ;  and  she 
returned  to  the  palace  of  her  mother,  whom 
she  much  blamed  for  having  urged  her  mar- 
riage to  the  duke. 

"  She  soon  after  visited  the  town  of  Va- 
lenciennes with  her  mother,  and  after  re- 
maining there  a  short  time,  she  left  her 
there  to  visit  her  town  of  Bouchain.  But 
whilst  she  was  at  Valenciennes,  she  had  ar- 
ranged a  plan  by  which  she  hoped  to  escape 
entirely  from  the  control  of  her  relations, 
who  were  continually  endeavouring  to  re- 
unite her  with  her  husband.  The  day  after 
she  arrived  at  Bouchain,  she  left  the  town 
early  in  the  morning,  and  was  met  on  the 
plain,  outside  the  walls,  by  the  Lord 
d'Escaillon,  a  Hainaulter,  but  devoted  to 
the  cause  of  the  English,  who  were  now 
masters  of  almost  all  France.  She  had 
conversed  with  him  several  times  at  Valen- 


172     JACQUELINE  OF  HOLLAND. 

ciennes,  and  he  had  promised  to  escort  her 
to  England,  where  she  intended  to  put  her- 
self under  the  protection  of  King  Henry. 
The    Lord   d'Escaillon    had    about    sixty 
lances  with  him,  and  under  his  guidance  she 
took  the  road  to  Calais,  and  rode  the  first 
day   as   far   as   Hedin,   near   to    St.    Pol, 
thence   straight   to   Calais,   whence,   after 
some  stay,   she  crossed  over  to  England, 
where  she  was  most  honourably  received  by 
the  king,  who  made  her  general  promises  of 
aid  in  all  her  concerns.     But  beyond  giving 
her  his  countenance  by  permitting  her  resi- 
dence  at    his   court,    he   could   undertake 
nothing  in  her  behalf,  as  all  his  attention 
was  given  to  his  own  affairs  in  France  :  and 
it  is  probable  also,  that  he  was  unwilling  to 
offend  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  to  whom  he 
owed  much  of  the  power  with  which  he  was 
invested  there ;    and  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  August,  1422,  put  an  end  to  her 
hopes  from  that  quarter.     I  may  here  just 
mention  that  it  was  during  her  residence  at 
Henry's  court  that  his  son,  afterwards  Hen- 


JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND.  173 

ry  VI.,  was  born,  and  Jacqueline  was  one 
of  his  godmothers. 

"  But  though  she  had  lost  one  protector, 
another  was  ready.  This  was  the  Duke  of 
Gloucester,  who  held  the  office  of  Protec- 
tor of  England,  whilst  his  brother  Bedford 
was  regent  in  France.  Jacqueline  had  ap- 
plied to  the  Pope  for  a  divorce  from  her  hus- 
band, founded  upon  their  too  close  connec- 
tion in  relationship,  according  to  the  rules  of 
the  church ;  and  also  upon  their  relative  po- 
sition as  godmother  and  godson,  an  objec- 
tion that  was,  and  I  believe  still  is,  upheld 
by  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  although 
very  absurd.  But  without  waiting  for  the 
Pope's  decision,  Gloucester,  asserting  that 
her  marriage  with  the  Duke  of  Brabant  was, 
from  these  causes,  of  no  effect  from  the  be- 
ginning, married  her  himself  in  the  spring 
of  1423,  and  then  claimed  all  her  dominions 
as  her  husband.  There  is  something  very 
singular  in  this  marriage  between  Glouces- 
ter and  Jacqueline.  That  affection  had  no 
place  in  it,  and  that  they  never  contemplated 


174  JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND. 

living  together  as  man  and  wife,  is  clear 
from  a  letter  of  Jacqueline's,  which  I  shall 
read  to  you  presently,  in  which  she  styles 
him  her  lord  and  father,  and  from  some  other 
circumstances.  It  is  evident  that  the  cere- 
mony was  performed  merely  to  give  Glou- 
cester a  show  of  right  in  undertaking  to  re- 
store her  to  her  dominions,  and  in  sharing 
them  with  her.  But  that  a  man  of  so  much 
good  sense,  as  Gloucester  undoubtedly  was, 
should  suffer  himself  to  be  so  carried  away, 
either  by  ambition  or  compassion- — and  pro- 
bably both  influenced  him,  for  his  temper 
was  noble  and  generous — as  to  insult  the 
Pope  by  his  precipitate  marriage,  and  take 
a  part  in  family  disputes  which  he  knew 
must  be  very  displeasing  to  Burgundy,  is 
strange  indeed.  Burgundy  at  last  became 
so  much  offended  at  his  conduct,  that  he, 
not  long  after,  reconciled  himself  to  Charles 
VII.,  the  king  of  France ;  and  as  he  had 
hitherto  been  the  main  support  of  the  Eng- 
lish in  France,  it  is  more  than  probable,  that, 
if  Jacqueline  had  not  sought  refuge  in  Eng- 


JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND.  175 

land,  not  even  Joan  of  Arc  could  have  re- 
stored Charles  to  the  throne  of  his  ances- 
tors. 

"  During  Jacqueline's  absence  the  Duke 
of  Brabant  had  taken  possession  of  all  her 
dominions ;  but  now  Gloucester  and  his 
wife  crossed  over  to  Calais,  and  sent  to  de- 
mand that  the  whole  should  be  given  up  to 
them.  Bedford,  eager  to  prevent  the  mis- 
chief he  foresaw,  engaged  Burgundy  to  join 
with  him  in  endeavouring  to  settle  the  dis- 
pute between  the  rival  claimants.  They 
prepared  a  treaty,  which  they  proposed 
should  be  accepted  by  both  parties;  but 
only  Brabant  agreed  to  the  terms,  while 
Gloucester  refused  them,  and  advanced  with 
his  wife  to  take  possession  by  force  of  arms. 
On  entering  Hainault,  all  the  towns  opened 
their  gates,  and  joyfully  acknowledged  them 
as  their  lawful  sovereigns ;  and  although 
Burgundy  took  up  arms  in  his  nephew's 
cause,  and  some  fighting  ensued,  yet  when 
Gloucester,  who  was  obliged  to  return  to 
England  early  in  the  year  1425,  left  his  wife 


176  JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND. 

behind  him,  at  the  request  of  the  nobles  and 
deputies  from  the  principal  towns  of  Hain- 
ault,  he  believed  that  he  left  her  in  perfect 
security,  more  especially  as  all  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  town  of  Mons,  where  she  took 
up  her  residence,  solemnly  swore  to  guard 
and  defend  her  against  all  who  might  at- 
tempt to  injure  her.  But,  alas !  poor 
Jacqueline,  she  found  her  friends  faithless, 
and  even  her  own  mother  fell  away  from 
her. 

"  The  Pope,  who  had  suffered  several 
years  to  pass  without  doing  any  thing  re- 
garding Jacqueline's  marriage  to  the  Duke 
of  Brabant,  now  began  stir  in  it ;  and  it 
was  privately  agreed  between  Jacqueline's 
mother  and  the  .  Duke  of  Burgundy,  that, 
until  the  Pope's  pleasure  was  known,  Hain- 
ault  should  be  restored  to  the  government 
of  the  Duke  of  Brabant,  and  that,  in  the 
mean  time,  Jacqueline  should  be  committed 
to  the  care  of  her  cousin  Burgundy. 

"  The  towns  began  to  revolt,  and  place 
themselves   under   the  government  of  the 


JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND.  177 

Duke  of  Brabant,  or  rather  that  of  the 
Duke  of  Burgundy,  who  was  the  real  mas- 
ter ;  and  the  people  of  Mons,  who  were 
threatened  by  the  enemy,  and  very  short 
of  provisions,  rose  up  against  Jacqueline, 
and  told  her  plainly  that  if  she  did  not 
make  peace,  they  would  deliver  her  into 
the  hands  of  the  Duke  of  Brabant :  at  the 
same  time,  they  imprisoned  many  of  her 
attendants,  some  of  whom  they  afterwards 
executed. 

"  In  this  distress  she  wrote  the  follow- 
ing letter  to  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  which 
is  one  of  the  most  touching  appeals  I  ever 
read : — 

"  « My  very  dear  and  redoubted  lord  and 
father,  in  the  most  humble  of  manners  in 
this  world,  I  recommend  myself  to  your 
kind  favour.  May  it  please  you  to  know, 
my  very  redoubted  lord  and  father,  that  I 
address  myself  to  your  glorious  power,  as 
the  most  doleful,  most  ruined,  and  most 
treacherously-deceived  woman  living ;  for, 
my  very  dear  lord,  on   Sunday  the  13th  of 

9 


178  JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND. 

this  present  month  of  June,  the  deputies  of 
jour  town  of  Mons  returned,  and  brought 
with  them  a  treaty  that  had  been  agreed 
on  between  our  fair  cousin  of  Burgundy 
and  our  fair  cousin  of  Brabant,  which 
treaty  had  been  made  in  the  absence  and 
without  the  knowledge  of  my  mother,  as 
she  herself  signifies  to  me,  and  confirmed 
by  her  chaplain,  Master  Gerard  le  Grand. 
My  mother,  most  redoubted  lord,  has  writ- 
ten to  me  letters  certifying  the  above  treaty 
having  been  made  ;  but  that,  in  regard  to 
it,  she  knew  not  how  to  advise  me,  for  that 
she  was  herself  doubtful  how  to  act.  She 
desired  me,  however,  to  call  an  assembly 
of  the  principal  burghers  of  Mons,  and 
learn  from  them  what  aid  and  advice  they 
were  willing  to  give  me. 

"  *  Upon  this,  my  sweet  lord  and  father, 
I  went  on  the  morrow  to  the  town-house, 
and  remonstrated  with  them,  that  it  had 
been  at  their  request  and  earnest  entrea- 
ties that  you  had  left  me  under  their  safe- 
guard, and  on  their  oaths  that  they  would 


JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND.  179 

be  true  and  loyal  subjects,  and  take  espe- 
cial care  of  me,  so  that  they  should  be 
enabled  to  give  you  good  accounts  on  your 
return,- — and  these  oaths  had  been  taken 
on  the  holy  sacrament  at  the  altar,  and  on 
the  sacred  evangelists. 

"  '  To  this  harangue,  my  dear  and  hon- 
oured lord,  they  simply  replied,  that  they 
were  not  sufficiently  strong  within  the 
town  to  defend  and  guard  me  ;  and  instan- 
taneously they  rose  in  tumult,  saying  that 
my  people  wanted  to  murder  them  ;  and, 
my  sweet  lord,  they  carried  matters  so  far, 
that,  despite  of  me,  they  arrested  one  of 
your  sergeants,  called  Maquart,  whom 
they  immediately  beheaded,  and  hanged 
very  many  who  were  of  your  party  and 
strongly  attached  to  your  interest,  such  as 
Bardaul  de  la  Porte,  his  brother  Colart, 
Gilet  de  la  Porte,  Jean  Du  Bois,  Guillaume 
de  Liter,  Sauson  your  sergeant,  Pierre, 
Baron,  Sandart,  Uandre  and  others,  to  the 
number  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  your 
adherents.     They  also  wished  to  seize  Sir 


180     JACQUELINE  OF  HOLLAND. 

Baldwin  the  treasurer,  Sir  Louis  de  Mont- 
fort,  Haulnere,  Jean  Fresne,  and  Estienne 
d'Estre,  but  though  they  did  not  succeed, 
I  know  not  what  they  intend  doing ;  for, 
my  very  dear  lord,  they  plainly  told  me, 
that  unless  I  make  peace,  they  will  deliver 
me  into  the  hands  of  the  Duke  of  Brabant, 
and  that  I  shall  only  remain  eight  days 
longer  in  their  town,  when  I  shall  be 
forced  to  go  into  Flanders,  which  will  be 
to  me  the  most  painful  of  events  ;  for  I  very 
much  fear,  that  unless  you  shall  hasten  to 
free  me  from  the  hands  I  am  now  in,  I 
shall  never  see  you  more. 

'J '  Alas  !  my  most  dear  and  redoubted 
father,  my  whole  hope  is  in  your  power, 
seeing,  my  sweet  lord  and  only  delight, 
that  all  my  sufferings  arise  from  my  love 
to  you.  I,  therefore,  entreat,  in  the  most 
humble  manner  possible,  and  for  the  love  of 
God,  that  you  would  be  pleased  to  have 
compassion  on  me  and  on  my  affairs  ;  for 
you  must  hasten  to  succour  your  most 
doleful  creature,  if  you  do  not  wish  to  lose 


JACQUELINE  OF  HOLLAND.      181 

her  for  ever.  I  have  hopes  that  you  will 
do  as  1  beg,  for,  dear  father,  I  have  never 
behaved  ill  to  you  in  my  whole  life,  and  so 
long  as  I  shall  live,  I  will  never  do  any 
thing  to  displease  you,  but  I  am  ready  to 
die  for  love  of  you  and  your  noble  person. 
"  '  Your  government  pleases  me  much, 
and,  by  my  faith,  my  very  redoubted  lord 
and  prince,  my  sole  consolation  and  hope, 
I  beg  you  will  consider,  by  the  love  of  God 
and  of  my  lord  St.  George,  the  melancholy 
situation  of  myself  and  my  affairs,  more 
maturely  than  you  have  hitherto  done, 
for  you  seem  entirely  to  have  forgotten  me. 
Nothing  more  do  1  know  at  present,  than 
that  I  ought  sooner  have  sent  Sir  Louis  de 
Montfort  to  you ;  for  he  cannot  longer  re- 
main here,  although  he  attended  me  when 
all  the  rest  deserted  me  ;  and  he  will  tell 
you  more  particularly  all  that  has  hap- 
pened than  I  can  do  in  a  letter.  I  entreat, 
therefore,  that  you  will  be  a  kind  lord  to 
him,  and  send  me  your  good  pleasure  and 
commands,  which  I  will  most  heartily  obey. 

9* 


182     JACQUELINE  OF  HOLLAND. 

This  is  known  to  the  blessed  Son  of  God, 
whom  I  pray  to  grant  you  a  long  and 
happy  life,  and  that  I  may  have  the  great 
joy  of  seeing  you  soon. 

"  '  Written  in  the  false  and  traitorous 
town  of  Mons,  with  a  doleful  heart,  the  6th 
day  of  June.'  The  signature  below  was, 
'  Your  sorrowful  and  well-beloved  daugh- 
ter, suffering  great  grief  by  your  com- 
mands.— Your    daughter,    Jacqueline  De 

QUIENEBOURG.' 

"  Gloucester,  who  would  willingly  have 
sent  aid  to  Jacqueline  had  it  been  in  his 
power,  was  now  quite  helpless ;  for  on  his  re- 
turn he  had  been  severely  blamed  for  what  he 
had  alread  v  done,  and  was  refused  all  further 
supplies  of  men  or  money.  Jacqueline  was 
therefore  obliged  to  submit,  and  surrendered 
herself  to  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  who  sent 
her  to  Ghent,  where  she  was  lodged  and  at- 
tended as  became  her  rank.  But  her  free 
spirit  could  not  brook  constraint,  and  she 
began  to  devise  means  of  escape. 

"  One  evening,  about  the  beginning  of 


JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND.  183 

September,  while  her  guards  were  at  sup- 
per, she  dressed  herself  in  man's  clothes,  as 
did  one  of  her  women,  and  quitting  her 
apartments  unobserved,  they  mounted  horses 
which  were  waiting  for  them,  and  escorted 
by  two  men,  rode  off  full  gallop  from  Ghent 
to  Antwerp,  where  she  re-assumed  her  fe- 
male dress,  and  thence  proceeded  on  a  car 
to  Breda  and  to  Gertruydenburg,  where  she 
was  honourably  received,  and  obeyed  as 
their  princess. 

"  She  then  sent  for  the  Lord  de  Montfort, 
her  principal  adviser,  to  meet  her,  and  many 
of  the  noble  barons  of  Holland,  to  take 
counsel  with  them  on  the  state  of  her  af- 
fairs. The  Duke  of  Burgundy  collected 
his  men-at-arms  to  pursue  her,  and  a  furious 
war  began  between  them.  When  the  Duke 
of  Gloucester  heard  of  her  situation,  he  sent 
over  a  body  of  five  hundred  chosen  English 
soldiers,  under  the  command  of  the  Lord 
Fitzwalter,  who  gave  her  much  assistance. 
But  in  the  course  of  the  next  year  (1426), 
the  Pope  pronounced  his  definite  sentence, 


184  JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND. 

by  which  he  declared  that  the  marriage  be- 
tween the  Duke  of  Gloucester  and  Jacque- 
line was  null  and  void,  and  that  if  the  Duke 
of  Brabant  should  die,  the  said  Duke  of 
Gloucester  and  the  Duchess  Jacqueline  could 
not  be  legally  married  to  each  other.  The 
Duke  of  Gloucester  upon  this  abandoned 
all  hope  of  ever  establishing  himself  in 
Hainault  or  Holland,  married  another  wo- 
man, and  left  poor  Jacqueline  to  her  fate. 
She  still  continued  to  defend  herself  with 
spirit,  when  the  death  of  John  of  Brabant 
should  have  left  her  in  undisputed  possession 
of  all  her  dominions,  since  there  was  none 
now  who  could  pretend  to  any  right  to  in- 
terfere with  her.  But  the  Duke  of  Bur- 
gundy, who  had  determined  to  wrest  all 
from  her,  still  continued  the  war,  and  call- 
ing an  assembly  of  the  nobility  at  Valen- 
ciennes, they,  after  the  mockery  of  a  sol- 
emn deliberation,  decided  that  the  govern- 
ment should  remain  in  the  hands  of  the 
Duke  of  Burgundy  as  her  guardian.  He 
now  pushed  on  the  war  with  more  fierce- 


JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND.  185 

ness  than  ever.  Town  after  town  surren- 
dered, and  at  last  poor  Jacqueline  was 
cooped  up  in  the  little  town  of  Gouda.  He 
brought  so  overwhelming  a  force  against  it, 
that  she  was  compelled  to  surrender,  and  to 
consent  to  a  treaty,  by  which  she  was  bound 
to  appoint  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  the  true 
and  lawful  heir  of  all  her  territories :  she 
was,  thenceforth,  to  appoint  him  governor 
and  guardian  of  them,  and  to  give  up  all 
towns  and  castles  she  still  held — and  she 
was  never  to  marry  without  his  consent. 

"  After  committing  this  barefaced  rob- 
bery, for  it  was  no  better,  he  had  the  cruelty 
to  insist  on  her  accompanying  him  to  all  the 
towns  of  Holland  and  Hainault,  where  he 
obliged  the  inhabitants  to  swear  obedience 
to  him,  that  her  presence  might  give  a  sanc- 
tion to  the  proceeding.  Tn  some  places 
they  were  received  with  honour  and  respect, 
but  in  others  there  was  much  dissatisfac- 
tion ;  but  they  could  then  see  no  means  to 
remedy  it.     This  occurred  in  the  year  1428. 

"The  rest  of  this  unfortunate  lady's  story 


186  JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND. 

is  soon  told.  When  the  duke  quitted  the 
country,  he  left  Francis  de  Borselle,  a  no- 
bleman of  high  rank,  behind  him  as  his 
lieutenant.  In  July,  1433,  the  countess 
married  this  gentleman,  in  violation  of  the 
engagement  not  to  marry  without  the  duke's 
consent.  Upon  this  he  entered  the  country, 
seized  Borselle,  confined  him  in  the  tower 
of  Rupelmonde,  and  threatened  to  put  him 
to  death.  Jacqueline,  to  save  her  husband's 
life,  made  an  absolute  grant  of  the  whole  of 
her  estates  to  Philip,  who  graciously  be- 
stowed the  country  of  Ostrevant,  the  lord- 
ships of  Brill  and  South  Beveland,  with  the 
collection  of  certain  tolls  and  imposts,  upon 
her ;  and  for  the  future  she  was  to  take  no 
other  title  than  that  of  Countess  of  Ostre- 
vant. She  was  now,  at  last,  having  nothing 
more  to  tempt  the  hand  of  the  spoiler,  suf- 
fered to  rest  in  peace  with  her  husband ; 
but  she  did  not  long  enjoy  tranquillity  on 
earth,  for  death  put  a  period  to  her  eventful 
history  in  the  month  of  October,  1436." 
"  Alas !  poor  Jacqueline,"  said  mamma, 


JACQUELINE    OF    HOLLAND.  187 

"  hers  was  indeed  a  sad  and  melancholy  his- 
tory. Happier,  far  happier  had  it  been  for 
her,  to  have  been  born  the  daughter  of  a 
cottager,  than  the  heiress  of  dukedoms  and 
principalities.  The  very  riches  and  honours 
thai  seemed  to  secure  her  happiness,  proved 
the  source  of  all  her  calamities.  Truly 
spoke  the  Spanish  poet  when  he  ex- 
claimed : — 

" '  Say,  then,  how  poor  and  little  worth 
Are  all  those  glittering  toys  of  earth 

That  lure  ns  here; 
Dreams  of  a  sleep  that  Death  must  break — 
Alas  !  before  it  bids  us  wake. 

Ye  disappear.' " 


THE    END. 


a 
w 
H 

3 

s . 

I 


Q    I 


THE 


STOEY  OF  JOAN  OF  ARC 


CHAPTER    I. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


Last  summer  I  travelled  through  the 
north  of  France,  and  wandered  over  many 
spots  whose  names  are  recorded  in  the  his- 
tory of  those  days  when  England  ruled 
over  great  part  of  that  fair  country.  In 
the  bustling  town  of  Havre,  in  her  streets 
crowded  with  busy  merchants,  her  quays 
lumbered  with  cotton  bales,  and  her  docks 
filled  with  steam  vessels,  there  are  few 
traces  of  the  little  fishing  village,  whose 
name  finds  no  place  in  history  until  long 
after  the  period  when  France  owned  the 
British  monarch  for  her  lord ;  though  there 
is  one  old  tower,  facing  the  sea  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  port,  which  bears  evidence  of 

2 


10  INTRODUCTORY. 

an  origin  before  the  use  of  the  cross-bow 
was  quite  laid  aside  for  the  cannon  and 
musket.  Its  walls  are  sculptured  over  with 
cannon-balls  and  cross-bow  bolts,  as  if  half 
imbedded  there,  in  token,  I  presume,  that 
the  builders  considered  them  too  thick  to 
be  endangered  by  the  most  formidable  ar- 
tillery. 

But  when  proceeding  along  the  beautiful 
banks  of  the  Seine  we  reach  the  old  town 
of  Harfleur,  now  reduced  to  a  village, 
whilst  the  poor  little  Havre  has  grown  into 
a  great  city,  we  find  many  things  to  recall 
the  days  of  England's  triumph.  There  are 
the  ruins  of  the  very  walls  surmounted  by 
our  warriors,  and  in  an  old  piece  of  mason- 
ry a  massive  staple  still  exists  on  which 
perhaps  hung  the  very  gate  which  was 
flung  back  to  admit  the  conqueror,  who, 
there  dismounting,  made  bare  his  legs  and 
feet,  and  walked  from  thence  barefooted  to 
the  parish  church  of  St.  Martin,  where  he 
gave  thanks  to  God  for  his  success.  As  I 
stood  on  the  hill  which  overlooks  the  town, 


REMAINS   OF    THE    WALLS    OF    HARFLEUR,  WITH   THE   CHURCH    OF 
ST.  MARTIN   IN   THE   DISTANCE. 


INTRODUCTORY.  11 

I  pictured  to  myself  the  probable  positions 
of  the  English  host  at  that  memorable 
siege.  Here,  thought  1,  among  these  brakes 
and  bushes  stood  the  English  tents ;  there, 
right  opposite  those  mouldering  walls,  were 
placed  the  battering  engines ;  and  on  the 
river,  which  then  shone  brightly  in  the 
moonlight,  lay  the  fleet  destined  to  carry  off 
the  riches  which  were  found  there. 

Such  thoughts  as  these  were  often  sug- 
gested by  the  sight  of  other  scenes,  con- 
nected, like  Harfleur,  with  the  memory  of 
our  ancient  wars  in  France.  Scarce  a  vil- 
lage, indeed,  but  has  been  the  scene  of 
some  warlike  exploit ;  but  nowhere  do  you 
meet  with  so  many  memorials  of  those  by- 
gone days  as  in  the  fine  old  city  of  Rouen, 
which  for  so  many  years  was  as  a  second 
capital  in  France,  the  residence  of  the  re- 
gent of  her  English  sovereign.  There  at 
every  turn  some  object  rises  full  of  interest 
to  English  eyes,  though  some  of  them  are 
of  such  a  nature  as  to  raise  the  blush  of 
shame  rather  than  the  glow  of  triumph ; 


12  INTRODUCTORY. 

*  for  here  stands  the  castle  in  which,  if  old 
chroniclers  say  true,  the  cruel  tyrant  John 
of  Anjou,  usurper  of  the  crown  of  England, 
with  his  own  hand  murdered  his  young 
nephew  Arthur,  the  rightful  heir  to  the 
throne  ;  and  here  we  may  view  the  dun- 
geon and  the  trial-chamber  of  the  heroic 
Maid  of  Orleans,  that  extraordinary  wo- 
man, whose  actions  brought  about  such 
wonders,  that,  even  at  the  present  day,  we 
feel  it  almost  difficult  to  believe  that  the  in- 
spiration she  professed,  and  herself  believ- 
ed, was  not  in  truth  a  reality,  but  only  the 
result  of  over-excited  fancy  ;  here  is  the 
death-place  of  that  high-minded  woman, 
whose  courage  and  enthusiasm  won  back 
for  Charles  the  throne  he  had  thought  lost 
for  ever,  and  freed  her  country  from  a  fo- 
reign rule. 

There,  in  the  centre  of  the  Place  de  la 
Pucelle,  the  Maiden's  square,  on  the  very 
spot  where  her  body  was  reduced  to  ashes, 
stands  her  statue,  a  lasting  memorial  of  her 
virtues  and  her  wrongs.     Formerly,  a  foun- 


INTRODUCTORY.  13 

tain  occupied  that  spot,  but  that  was  de- 
stroyed during  the  French  Revolution,  al- 
though one  would  have  thought  that  even 
the  wildest  of  those  who  took  part  in  the 
terrible  excesses  of  that  fearful  time,  would 
have  respected  such  a  monument.  It  is 
creditable  to  the  better  feelings  of  return- 
ing good  sense,  to  have  erected  a  fresh 
mark  of  honour  to  the  memory  of  her  who 
should  never  have  been  forgotten  by  any 
Frenchman.  As  1,  a  solitary  English  tra- 
veller, stood  on  this  place,  retracing  in  my 
mind  the  strange  career  of  the  heroine,  it 
occurred  to  me  that  I  might,  whilst  in  the 
midst  of  the  scenes  which  had  witnessed 
her  achievements,  fill  up  many  of  the  hours 
which  so  often  hang  heavy  on  the  hands  of 
a  lonely  wanderer,  by  collecting  and  ar- 
ranging the  various  recorded  facts  which 
form  the  brief  history  of  her  on  whose  sta- 
tue I  was  gazing.  "  And  this,"  thought  I, 
"  may  perhaps  be  welcome  to  my  young 
friends  at  home  ;  and  they  will  find  that 
Uncle  Rupert,  though  he    meets  them  no 

2* 


14  INTRODUCTORY. 

more  under  the  ash-tree  or  at  the  fireside, 
forgets  them  not  in  his  wanderings  abroad." 
Acting  on  this  resolve  on  the  instant,  I 
drew  forth  my  sketch-book  and  commenced 
my  labours  by  making  a  drawing  of  the 
scene  before  me  ;  but  I  afterwards  placed 
in  it  a  representation  of  the  ancient  foun- 
tain, copied  from  a  print,  thinking  that  a 
view  of  that  would  be  more  acceptable  than 
the  modern  statue.  You  may  see  it  on  the 
opposite  page. 

Having  made  a  beginning,  I  slacked  not 
in  my  diligence,  and,  as  I  went  on  my  way, 
sketch-book  and  note-book  were  my  con- 
stant companions ;  and  as  I  scribbled  away, 
sometimes  in  the  midst  of  a  wood,  on  the 
bank  of  a  brawling  stream,  at  others  in  a 
little  road-side  auberge,  in  the  noisy  crowd- 
ed cafe,  or  in  the  solitude  of  my  own  silent 
room,  the  only  tranquil  part  of  a  large  bust- 
ling hotel,  I  often  looked  up  from  my  work, 
forgetting  I  was  writing  instead  of  talking, 
and  listened  to  catch  a  question  or  excla- 
mation in  the  voices  of  those  who  were  far 


;  * 

i  * 

1  H 

I  o 

>  S 


Miflill 


INTRODUCTORY.  15 

away.  Then  consoling  myself  with  the  re- 
flection that  soon  I  might  not  listen  in  vain 
for  the  tones  I  loved  so  much,  I  went  on 
cheerfully. — Now  I  present  my  work  to 
you,  trusting  that  the  fruits  of  my  travel 
will  prove  neither  useless  nor  disagree- 
able. 


16  THE    STORY    OF 


CHAPTER   II. 

Sir  Peter  de  Craon  attempts  to  murder  the  Constable   Clisson — 
King  Charles  is  seized  with  Madness. 

To  tell  my  tale  aright,  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  go  back  as  far  as  the  year  1392, 
thirty-seven  years  before  my  heroine,  the 
ill-fated  maid  of  Orleans,  entered  upon  her 
noble  task.  King  Charles  the  Sixth  of 
France  was  then  in  the  twelfth  year  of  his 
reign,  and  the  twenty-fifth  of  his  age  ;  and 
his  kingdom  was,  for  those  troublesome 
times,  in  a  prosperous  condition.  The  Eng- 
lish, although  they  still  retained  possession 
of  Calais,  Bayonne,  and  Bordeaux,  and  from 
time  to  time  made  expeditions  into  other 
parts  of  France,  were  too  much  taken  up 
with  disturbances  at  home  to  make  regular 
war  or  attempt  further  conquest,  and  from 
no  other  quarter  was  any  attack  to  be 
feared.  Every  thing  looked  favourable  for 
France,  and  it  was   hoped  that  she  would 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  17 

now  at  length  recover  from  the  miserable 
condition  to  which  she  had  been  reduced 
by  her  long  war  with  England,  under  Ed- 
ward III.,  and  the  insurrections  and  other 
internal  disturbances  which  had  set  her 
own  sons  at  variance. 

It  was  in  the  summer  of  this  year  (1392) 
that  King  Charles  had  undertaken  an  ex- 
pedition to  punish  one  of  the  most  power- 
ful lords  of  his  kingdom,  the  Duke  of  Brit- 
tany, who  had  given  shelter  to  a  notorious 
criminal.  I  will  tell  you  the  story,  that 
you  may  form  an  idea  of  the  barbarous  and 
savage  state  of  a  society  whose  members 
yet  called  themselves  noble  and  gentle 
knights  and  courteous  cavaliers,  although 
I  shall  have  even  worse  things  to  tell  by 
and  by. 

Peter  de  Craon,  a  gentleman  of  good 
family  and  fortune,  had  been  held  in  great 
favour  by  the  King  of  France  and  his  bro- 
ther, the  Duke  of  Touraine,  afterwards 
the  Duke  of  Orleans ;  but  falling  into  dis- 
grace with  them,  in  consequence  of  a  cir- 


18  THE    STORY    OF 

cumstance  in  which  he  had  acted  very 
dishonourably  coming  to  their  knowledge, 
he  was  forced  to  retire  from  court,  and 
went  to  Brittany,  where  he  was  kindly 
received  by  the  duke,  who  on  hearing  of 
his  misfortune,  persuaded  him  that  it  was 
entirely  owing  to  the  ill  offices  of  the  con- 
stable Clisson,  who  was  much  beloved  by 
the  king,  but  disliked  by  Craon,  and  hated 
by  the  Duke  of  Brittany,  who  was  his  mor- 
tal enemy,  and  had  not  long  before  made 
him  prisoner  in  a  very  shameful  manner, 
and  exacted  a  heavy  ransom.  Craon's  real 
character  was  now  beginning  to  be  publicly 
known,  as  before  he  had  been  taken  into 
favour  by  the  King  of  France,  he  had  been 
driven  in  disgrace  from  the  family  of  the 
Duke  of  Anjou,  who  called  himself  King 
of  Naples,  whose  father  he  had  plundered 
of  large  sums,  which  he  was  afterwards 
forced  to  refund.  He  considered  it  very 
desirable  to  obtain  the  firm  friendship  of 
the  Duke  of  Brittany,  and  thought  he  could 
effect  this  by  no  surer  means  than  by  slay- 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  19 

ing  the  constable,  and  thus  avenging  his 
own  supposed  wrong  (for  the  constable  had 
really  had  no  hand  in  his  disgrace)  and  his 
new  friend's  quarrel. 

He  therefore  left  Brittany  without  telling 
the  duke  what  his  exact  intentions  were, 
though  he  most  probably  guessed  them  well 
enough,  and  went  to  a  country-house  of 
his  own,  from  whence  he  sent  up  by  small 
parties  forty  stout  men,  who  were  received 
and  well  entertained  by  his  orders,  at  a 
large  house  he  had  at  Paris,  but  kept  quite 
close,  and  not  suffered  to  show  themselves 
abroad.  They  were  supplied  with  arms 
and  armour ;  but  neither  they  nor  even  the 
steward  who  had  charge  of  the  house  knew 
why  they  were  assembled.  When  all  the 
forty  were  arrived,  Peter  joined  them,  com- 
ing as  secretly  as  they  had  done,  and  imme- 
diately employed  spies  to  give  him  infor- 
mation of  the  movements  of  the  constable. 
The  story  is  told  by  Froissart,  the  best  and 
most  delightful  historian  of  his  times,  and 
in  his  words  I  shall  continue  it.     "  It  hap- 


20  THE    STORY    OF 

pened  that  on  the  feast  of  the  Holy  Sacra- 
ment, the  King  of  France  kept  an  open 
court  at  the  Hotel  de  St.  Pol,  where  he  en- 
tertained all  barons  and  lords  who  were  in 
Paris.  He  was  in  high  enjoyment,  as  were 
the  queen  and  the  Duchess  of  Touraine ; 
to  add  to  their  amusement,  after  dinner, 
lists  were  prepared  within  the  courts  of  the 
Hotel,  and  young  knights  and  squires  armed 
and  mounted  for  tilting  came  thither,  and 
jousted  very  gallantly.  The  tiltings  were 
well  performed,  to  the  delight  of  the  king, 
queen,  ladies,  and  damsels,  and  lasted  un- 
til the  evening.  The  king  entertained  at 
supper,  in  the  Hotel  de  St.  Pol,  every 
knight  who  wished  to  partake  of  it ;  and 
afterwards  the  dancings  continued  until 
one  o'clock  in  the  morning.  When  these 
were  over,  every  one  retired  to  his  home 
without  guard  and  without  suspicion.  Sir 
Oliver  de  Clisson  remained  the  last ;  and 
when  he  had  taken  leave  of  the  king,  he 
returned  to  the  apartment  of  the  Duke  of 
Touraine,  and  asked,  '  My  lord,  shall  you 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  21 

stay  here  to-night,  or  do  you  go  to  Tou- 
lain's  ?'  This  Toulain  was  treasurer  to  the 
Duke  of  Touraine.  The  duke  replied, — 
'Constable,  I  am  not  determined  whether 
I  shall  stay  or  not,  but  do  you  go,  for  it  is 
high  time  to  retire.'  '  My  lord,  God  give  you 
a  good  night !'  said  Sir  Oliver,  and  went 
away.  He  found  his  servants  and  horses 
waiting  for  him  in  the  square  before  the 
hotel,  but  they  had  not  more  than  eight  or 
ten  torches,  which  the  varlets  lighted. 
When  the  constable  was  mounted,  and  the 
torches  were  borne  before  him,  he  rode 
down  the  broad  street  of  St.  Catherine. 

"  Sir  Peter  de  Craon's  spies  had  this  day 
been  on  the  watch,  and  he  knew  every  par- 
ticular relative  to  the  constable, — of  his 
staying  behind  the  rest  of  the  company, 
and  the  exact  number  of  his  horses  and  at- 
tendants. He  had,  in  consequence,  quitted 
his  hotel  with  his  men  all  mounted  and  se- 
cretly armed ;  but  there  were  not  six  of 
them  who  knew  what  his  real  intentions 
were.     He  advanced  to  the  causeway,  near 

3 


22  THE    STORY    OF 

the  Place  of  St.  Catherine,  where  he  and 
his  people  lay  hid,  waiting  for  the  constable 
to  pass.  As  soon  as  the  constable  had  left 
the  street  of  St.  Pol,  and  turned  into  the 
square  of  the  great  street,  advancing  a  foot's 
pace,  with  a  torch  on  each  side  to  light  him, 
he  began  a  conversation  with  one  of  his 
squires,  saying— *  I  am  to  have  at  dinner, 
to-morrow,  my  Lord  of  Touraine,  the  Lord 
de  Coucy,  Sir  John  de  Vienne,  Sir  Charles 
d'Angers,  the  Baron  d'Angers,  the  Baron 
d'lvry,  and  several  more  :  be  sure  take  care 
they  have  all  things  comfortable,  and  let 
nothing  be  spared.' 

"  As  he  said  this,  Sir  Peter  de  Craon  and 
his  company  advanced,  and,  without  saying 
a  word,  fell  on  the  constable's  attendants 
and  extinguished  the  torches.  The  consta- 
ble,  hearing  the  clatter  of  the  horses  behind 
him,  thought  it  was  the  Duke  of  Touraine 
who  was  playing  him  a  trick,  and  cried  out 
— '  My  lord,  by  my  faith  this  is  very  ill  done; 
but  I  excuse  it,  for  you  are  so  young  you 
make  a  joke  of  every  thing.' 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  23 

"At  these  words  Sir  Peter  de  Craon, 
drawing  his  sword  from  the  scabbard,  said, 
f  Death  !  death  !  Clisson,  you  must  die.' 

"  '  Who  art  thou,'  said  Clisson,  <  that  ut- 
terest  such  words  ?' 

"  c  I  am  Peter  de  Craon,  thy  enemy,  whom 
thou  hast  so  often  angered,  and  thou  shalt 
now  pay  for  it.'  Then  calling  to  his  peo- 
ple, he  said,  'Advance!  advance!  I  have 
found  him  I  was  in  search  of,  and  whom  I 
have  long  waited  to  seize.'  He  then  struck 
him  several  blows,  and  his  men,  drawing 
their  swords,  fell  on  him.  Sir  Oliver  was 
quite  unarmed,  having  only  a  short  cutlass, 
not  two  feet  long,  which,  however,  he  drew, 
and  defended  himself  with  it  as  well  as  he 
could.  His  servants,  being  quite  defence- 
less, were  soon  dispersed.  Some  of  Sir 
Peter's  men  asked  if  they  were  to  murder 
all? 

"' Yes,'  replied  he,  'all  who  put  them- 
selves in  a  posture  of  defence.' 

"  They  could  not  resist  the  attack,  for 
they  were  but  eight,  and  without  armour. 


24  THE    STORY    OF 

Sir  Peter's  men  fully  intended  to  murder  the 
constable,  and  their  master  wished  nothing 
more  than  to  see  it  done ;  but,  as  I  heard 
from  some  of  those  who  had  been  in  this 
attack,  the  moment  they  learnt  that  the  per- 
son they  were  assassinating  was  the  consta- 
ble of  France,  their  arms  became,  as  it 
were,  nerveless  through  surprise,  and  their 
blows  were  given  weakly  through  fear,  for 
in  perpetrating  wickedness  none  are  bold. 

H  The  constable  parried  the  blows  toler- 
ably well  with  his  short  cutlass  ;  but  his  de- 
fence would  have  been  of  no  avail  if  God's 
providence  had  not  protected  him.  He  kept 
steady  on  horseback  some  time,  until  he  was 
villanously  struck  on  the  back  part  of  his 
head,  which  threw  him  off  his  horse.  In 
his  fall  he  hit  against  the  hatch  of  a  baker's 
door,  who  was  already  up  to  attend  to  his 
business  and  bake  his  bread.  Having  heard 
the  noise  of  horses  on  the  causeway  and 
high  words,  the  baker  had,  fortunately  for 
the  constable,  half  opened  the  hatch,  and 
Sir  Oliver  falling  against  it,  burst  it  quite 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  25 

open,  and  rolled  into  the  shop.  Those  on 
horseback  could  not  follow  him,  as  the  en- 
trance was  neither  wide  nor  high  enough, 
and  besides  they  did  their  work  like  cow- 
ards. It  must  be  owned  for  truth  that  God 
showed  great  favour  to  the  constable :  if  he 
had  not  fallen  exactly  against  the  hatch,  or  if 
it  had  been  closed,  he  would  infallibly  have 
lost  his  life,  and  have  been  trampled  to  death 
by  the  horses,  for  they  were  afraid  to  dis- 
mount. Several  of  them  imagined,  even 
Sir  Peter  de  Craon  and  the  person  who  had 
hit  him,  that  the  blow  on  his  head  which 
unhorsed  him  must  cause  his  death ;  Sir 
Peter  therefore  said,  l  Come,  let  us  away : 
we  have  done  enough ;  if  he  be  not  dead, 
he  can  never  recover  from  the  last  blow, 
which  was  given  by  a  lusty  arm.'  On  say- 
ing this,  they  collected  together  and  left  the 
place  at  a  good  trot,  and  were  soon  at  the 
gate  of  Saint  Anthony,  which  they  passed, 
and  gained  the  fields  ;  for  since  the  battle 
of  Rosebecque,  ten  years  ago,  the  gates 
were  never  shut." 


26  THE    STORY    OF 

Sir  Oliver's  servants,  who  had  been  dis- 
persed, but  had  received  little  harm,  now 
came  to  the  assistance  of  their  master,  and 
the  king  himself,  to  whom  the  news  was 
quickly  carried,  hastened  half-dressed  to 
visit  him.  Although  severely,  he  was  not 
dangerously  wounded,  and  the  surgeons  un- 
dertook that  he  should  be  able  to  sit  on 
horseback  within  fifteen  days. 

Search  was  immediately  made  after  Peter 
de  Craon,  but  he  had  too  much  the  advan- 
tage of  his  pursuers,  both  in  the  time  that 
was  suffered  to  elapse  before  they  set  forth 
after  him,  and  in  obtaining  fresh  horses  at 
the  town  of  Chartres  where  he  had  had  the 
precaution  to  station  a  relay,  which  was 
kept  ready  for  him.  He  got  safe  off  to  his 
castle  of  Sable ;  and  afterwards,  when  he 
heard  that  the  constable  was  not  dead,  he 
took  refuge  with  the  Duke  of  Brittany,  who 
reproached  him  as  "  a  poor  creature  who 
could  not  slay  a  man  when  he  had  him  in 
his  power :"  but  since  he  had  promised  him 
protection,  he  said  he  would  keep  his  word, 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  27 

although  he  felt  sure  that  the  king  and  the 
constable  would  wage  war  against  him  on 
that  account. 

The  king;,  who  greatly  esteemed  Sir  Oli- 
ver de  Clisson,  was  determined  to  punish 
the  assassin,  and  collected  an  army  to  re- 
cover him  from  the  Duke  of  Brittany,  who 
protected  him.  The  king's  uncles,  the 
Dukes  of  Berri  and  Burgundy,  by  whose 
advice  the  king  had  generally  allowed 
himself  to  be  much  governed,  were  averse 
to  this,  for  they  both  envied  and  hated  the 
constable,  on  account  of  his  riches,  and 
the  influence  he  possessed  over  the  king 
and  his  brother.  They  said  the  quarrel 
concerned  neither  the  king  nor  the  Duke 
of  Brittany,  but  that  Clisson  and  Craon 
should  be  left  to  fight  it  out  together.  But 
the  king  would  not  hear  of  this,  and  pushed 
on  his  preparations  against  the  Duke  of 
Brittany  with  an  eagerness  that  appeared 
scarcely  natural.  He  had  been  unwell 
all  the  summer,  scarcely  eating  or  drink- 
ing any  thing,  and  almost  daily  attacked 


28  THE    STORY    OF 

by  fever,  to  which  he  was  naturally  in- 
clined, and  this  was  increased  by  contra- 
diction or  fatigue.  The  attack  on  the 
constable  had  affected  him  greatly,  and, 
ever  since,  he  had  been  indefatigable  in 
forwarding  the  arrangements  for  securing 
the  criminal.  He  had  collected  a  consi- 
derable army  at  the  city  of  Mans,  whence 
he  sent  to  the  Duke  of  Brittany  to  de- 
mand that  Craon  should  be  given  up. 
The  duke  excused  himself  by  protesting 
that  he  knew  not  where  Craon  was ;  but 
this  only  enraged  the  king  the  more,  who 
vowed  he  would  deprive  him  of  his  duke- 
dom. He  accordingly  gave  orders  for  the 
immediate  advance  of  his  ar.ny,  and  he 
himself  set  out  between  nine  and  ten  in 
the  morning,  in  company  with  his  brother 
the  Duke  of  Touraine,  now  lately  created 
Duke  of  Orleans,  and  several  others  of  the 
chief  nobles  of  his  court.  It  was  the  mid- 
dle of  August,  and  excessively  hot. 

A  strange   accident  happened  whilst  he 
was   passing  through  the   forest  of  Mans, 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  29 

A  man,  bareheaded,  with  naked  feet,  cloth- 
ed in  a  coarse  white  jerkin,  rushed  from  a 
thicket,  seized  the  bridle  of  the  king's 
horse,  and  stopped  him,  and  then  address- 
ing the  king,  told  him  to  "  ride  no  further, 
but  return,  for  he  was  betrayed."  The 
men  at  arms  riding  up,  struck  him  over 
the  hands  to  make  him  let  go  his  hold, 
wThen  he  bounded  off  among  the  trees,  and 
was  seen  no  more.  All  this  passed  so 
quickly  that  no  one  seems  to  have  thought 
of  stopping  the  madman,  for  such  he  cer- 
tainly was  ;  but  the  occurrence  appears  to 
have  made  a  strong  impression  on  the  king, 
and  to  have  greatly  agitated  him.  No  fur- 
ther notice  was,  however,  taken  at  the 
time,  and  the  cavalcade  rode  on. 

About  noon  they  got  clear  of  the  forest, 
fed  entered  on  a  sandy  plain,  where  the 
heat  was  so  oppressive  that  the  most  hardy 
warriors  complained  grievously.  They  no 
longer  kept  close  order,  but  the  better  to 
avoid  the   dust  raised  by   the  horses'  feet, 

3* 


30  THE    STORY    OF 

they  spread  themselves  abroad,  separating 
into  little  parties  of  two  or  three  together. 
"  The  king  rode  over  this  sandy  plain, 
that  reflected  the  heat,  which  was  much 
greater  than  had  been  ever  before  known 
or  felt  in  that  season  :  he  was  besides  in  a 
jacket  of  black  velvet,  that  added  to  the 
warmth,  and  had  only  a  single  hood  of 
crimson,  ornamented  with  a  chaplet  of 
large  beautiful  pearls  which  the  queen  had 
presented  to  him  on  his  leaving  her.  He 
was  followed  by  one  of  his  pages,  who  had 
a  Montauban  cap  of  polished  steel  on  his 
head  that  glittered  in  the  sun,  and  behind 
him  another  page  rode  on  horseback,  car- 
rying a  vermilion-coloured  lance  enveloped 
with  silk  for  the  king,  the  head  of  which 
lance  was  broad,  sharp,  and  bright.  The 
Lord  de  la  Riviere  had  brought  a  dozjh 
such  when  he  last  came  from  Toulouse, 
and  this  was  one  ;  for  he  had  presented 
the  who'e  to  the  king,  who  had  given  three 
to  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  and  the  same  num- 
ber to  the  Duke  of  Burgundy. 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  31 

"  As  they  were  thus  riding,  the  pages, 
who  were  but  children,  grew  negligent  of 
themselves  and  their  horses  ;  and  the  one 
who  bore  the  lance  fell  asleep,  and  forget- 
ful of  what  he  had  in  his  hand,  let  it  fall  on 
the  casque  of  the  page  before  him,  which 
made  both  the  lance  and  casque  ring  loud- 
ly. The  king,  being  so  near,  (the  pages 
rode  almost  on  the  heels  of  his  horse,)  was 
startled  and  shuddered,  for  he  had  in  his 
mind  the  words  the  madman  had  spoken 
when  he  seized  his  horse's  reins  in  the 
forest  of  Mans,  and  fancied  a  host  of  ene- 
mies were  come  to  slay  him.  In  this  dis- 
traction of  mind,  he  drew  his  sword  and 
advanced  on  the  pages,  for  his  senses  were 
quite  gone,  and  he  imagined  himself  sur- 
rounded by  enemies,  giving  blows  of  his 
sword,  indifferent  on  whom  they  fell,  cry- 
ing out  *  Advance  ! — advance  on  these  trai- 
tors V  The  pages,  seeing  the  king  thus 
wroth,  took  care  of  themselves,  for  they 
imagined  they  had  angered  him  by  their 
negligence,  and  spurred  their  horses  differ- 


THE    STORY    OF 

ent  ways.  The  Duke  of  Orleans  was  not 
far  distant  from  the  king,  who  made  up  to 
him  with  his  drawn  sword — for  at  the  mo- 
ment his  frenzy  had  deprived  him  of  the 
means  of  knowing  either  his  hrother  or  un- 
cles. The  Duke  of  Orleans,  seeing  him 
approach  with  his  naked  sword,  grew 
alarmed,  and  spurring  his  horse,  made  off, 
and  the  king  after  him.  The  Duke  of  Bur- 
gundy, hearing  the  cries  of  the  pages,  cast 
his  eyes  to  that  quarter,  and  seeing  the  king 
pursuing  his  brother  with  his  drawn  sword, 
was  astonished,  and  not  without  reason. 
He  cried  out  for  help,  saying,  t  My  lord  has 
lost  his  senses  ;  for  God's  sake  lay  hands 
on  him :'  and  then  added, ;  Fly,  fair  nephew 
of  Orleans  ! — fly,  or  my  lord  will  murder 
you.'  The  Duke  of  Orleans  was  much 
frightened,  and  galloped  as  fast  as  his 
horse  could  go,  followed  by  knights  and 
squires.  There  were  now  great  shoutings, 
insomuch  that  those  at  a  distance  thought 
they  were  hunting  a  wolf  or  hare,  until 
they  learnt  it  was  the  king,  who  was  not 
himself. 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  33 

"  The  Duke  of  Orleans,  however,  escap- 
ed by  making  several  turns,  and  was  aided 
by  knights,  squires,  and  men  at  arms,  who 
surrounded  the  king,  and  allowed  him  to 
waste  his  strength  on  them  ;  for,  of  course, 
the  more  he  exerted  himself  the  weaker  he 
grew.  When  he  made  a  blow  at  any  one 
knight  or  squire,  they  fell  before  the  stroke  ; 
and  I  never  heard  that  in  this  fit  of  madness 
any  one  was  killed.  Several  were  struck 
down  by  his  blows,  because  no  one  made 
any  defence.  At  last,  when  he  was  quite 
jaded  and  running  down  with  sweat,  and 
his  horse  in  a  lather  from  fatigue,  a  Nor- 
man knight,  who  was  one  of  his  chamber- 
lains, and  much  beloved  by  him,  called  Sir 
William  Martel,  came  behind,  and  caught 
him  in  his  arms,  though  he  had  his  sword 
still  in  his  hand.  When  he  was  thus  held, 
all  the  other  lords  came  up,  and  took  the 
sword  from  him  ;  he  was  dismounted,  and 
gently  laid  on  the  ground,  that  his  jacket 
might  be  stripped  from  him,  to  give  him 
more  air  to  cool  him.     His  three  uncles  and 


34  THE    STORY    OF 

brother  approached  ;  but  he  had  lost  all 
knowledge  of  them,  showing  no  symptoms 
of  aquaintance  or  affection,  but  rolled  his 
eyes  round  in  his  head  without  speaking  to 
any  one.  The  princes  of  the  blood  were 
in  amazement,  and  knew  not  what  to  say, 
nor  how  to  act.  The  Dukes  of  Berri  and 
Burgundy  at  length  said,  'We  must  return 
to  Mans,  for  the  expedition  is  at  an  end  for 
this  season.'  "  The  expedition  was  accord- 
ingly given  up,  for  the  king's  uncles,  Bur- 
gundy and  Berri,  were  both,  from  hatred 
to  the  constable,  very  averse  to  the  war 
against  Brittany,  and  would  never  have 
taken  part  in  it  except  at  the  king's  com- 
mand. 

The  king  was  carried  back  to  Mans, 
wThere  he  remained  for  a  long  time  very  ill, 
and  quite  deprived  of  his  reason  ;  and  al- 
though he  recovered  his  senses  under  the 
care  of  a  very  skilful  physician,  named  Wil- 
liam de  Harseley,  who  appears  to  have  un- 
derstood the  nature  of  his  disorder  better 
than  anv  other  of  the  medical  men  of  the 


C^-r^-^S. 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  35 

time  ;  yet  after  Master  Harseley's  death, 
which  shortly  happened,  he  suffered  a  re- 
lapse, and  although  he  again  recovered  for 
a  time,  yet  he  never  afterwards  enjoyed  his 
health  for  any  long  continuance.  Human 
skill  alone  was  not  depended  upon  for  the 
cure  of  the  king,  for  Froissart  tells  us  that 
"  in  a  church  at  Haspres,  in  Hainault,  de- 
pendent on  the  Abbey  of  St.  Vast  at  Arras, 
lies  the  canonized  body  of  Saint  Aquaire, 
in  a  rich  shrine  of  silver.  This  saint  is 
celebrated  for  the  cures  he  has  performed 
on  those  afflicted  with  madness,  and  on  that 
account  is  much  visited  from  all  parts.  To 
pay  due  respect  to  the  saint,  there  was  made 
a  figure  of  wax  resembling  the  king,  which 
was  sent  thither  with  a  large  wax  taper, 
and  offered  with  much  devotion  to  the 
shrine  of  the  saint,  that  he  might  pray  to 
God  to  alleviate  this  cruel  affliction  of  the 
king.  A  similar  offering  was  made  to  St. 
Hermier  in  Rouais,  who  has  the  reputation 
of  curing  madness,  and  wherever  there 
were   saints    that   were   supposed  to  have 


36  THE    STORY    OF 

efficacy,  by  their  prayers  to  God,  in  such 
disorders,  thither  were  sent  offerings  from 
the  king,  with  much  ceremony  and  devo- 
tion." But  all  was  of  no  avail ;  for  al- 
though the  king  from  time  to  time  recover- 
ed the  use  of  his  senses,  he  was  never 
thoroughly  cured. 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  37 


CHAPTER    III. 

Disputes  between  the  Dukes  of  Orleans  and  Burgundy — Mur- 
der of  the  Duke  of  Orleans — The  Duke  of  Burgundy  justifies 
the  Murder,  and  obtains  a  Pardon  from  the  King. 

The  immediate  result  of  King  Charles's 
illness  was  the  commencement  of  those 
disputes  which,  in  the  end,  led  to  the  coro- 
nation of  an  English  king  in  the  city  of 
Paris.  The  Duke  of  Orleans,  the  brother 
of  the  king,  asserted  that  to  him,  as  his 
nearest  relation,  the  government  of  the 
kingdom  should  be  committed,  during  the 
illness  of  the  sovereign  ;  but  he  was  op- 
posed by  his  uncles,  tiie  Dukes  of  Burgun- 
dy and  Berri,  who  objected  that  he  was 
too  young,  and  too  little  acquainted  with 
business,  to  undertake  so  great  a  charge  ; 
and  that  it  would  be  fitter  for  them,  who 
were  already  experienced  in  government, 
having  been  the  king's  guardians  and  ad- 
visers, to  undertake  the  office.     The   Duke 


38  THE    STORY    OF 

of  Burgundy,  who  possessed  more  real 
power  than  either  Berri  or  Orleans — for  he 
was  possessed  not  only  of  the  duchy  of 
Burgundy,  but  of  all  Flanders,  his  wife's 
inheritance — at  last  prevailed,  and  in  a 
meeting  of  the  whole  council,  and  the 
principal  barons  and  prelates  of  the  realm, 
it  was  at  length,  after  fifteen  days'  deba- 
ting, agreed  that  the  two  uncles  of  the 
king  should  govern  the  kingdom,  but  that 
the  Duke  of  Burgundy  should  be  the  prin- 
cipal, and  that  the  Duchess  of  Burgundy 
should  remain  with  the  queen,  and  be  re- 
spected as  second  to  her  in  rank.  This  last 
precaution  was  taken  to  prevent  the  queen 
from  joining  with  the  Duke  of  Orleans  to 
overthrow  Burgundy's  power,  for  she  was 
strongly  attached  to  the  party  of  her  broth- 
er-in-law. 

As  long  as  Duke  Philip  of  Burgundy 
lived,  there  was  no  open  enmity  between 
him  and  his  nephew  the  Duke  of  Orleans. 
The  young  duke  nourished  a  secret  discon- 
tent, as  being  excluded  from  all  share  of 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  39 

authority ;  but  he  exhibited  it  in  little  be- 
sides giving  secret  aid  to  Clisson,  who,  sup- 
ported by  many  of  the  chief  nobility  of  the 
province,  carried  on  a  fierce  war  against  the 
Duke  of  Brittany,  whilst  Burgundy  did  the 
same  to  the  other  party.  This  war  was 
after  a  while  put  an  end  to,  and  Peter  de 
Craon  returned  secretly  to  Paris ;  here, 
however,  he  met  nothing  but  misfortune. 
The  Queen  Dowager  of  Naples  sued  him 
for  a  very  large  sum  of  which  he  had  de- 
frauded her  husband,  and  after  suffering  a 
long  imprisonment,  he  was  glad  to  be  per- 
mitted to  hide  himself  in  England,  whither 
he  went  in  the  train  of  the  Earl  of  Derby, 
afterwards  Henry  IV.  of  England. 

But  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1404, 
Philip  Duke  of  Burgundy  fell  ill  in  the  town 
of  Brussels,  and  finding  himself  in  danger, 
he  made  an  effort  to  reach  his  own  country, 
but  was  not  able  to  go  farther  than  Halle  in 
Hainault.  It  is  curious  to  note  in  these 
days  of  turnpike  roads,  mail-coaches,  and 
rail-roads,  what  the  state  of  travelling  was 


40  THE    STORY    OF 

four  hundred  years  ago.  He  was  carried  in 
a  litter,  borne  by  horses,  and  the  roads  were 
so  rough,  that  labourers  were  sent  before 
with  spades  and  pickaxes  to  repair  and 
smooth  them,  that  he  might  be  carried  more 
safely,  and  be  less  shaken. 

Finding  that  he  had  no  hope  of  life,  he 
sent  for  his  sons,  and  entreated  and  strictly 
commanded  them  to  be  loyal  and  obedient, 
during  their  lives,  to  king  Charles  of  France 
and  his  successors,  and  made  them  promise 
obedience  on  their  love  to  him :  but  after 
his  death,  the  solemn  engagement  was  little 
thought  on. 

John,  who  from  his  courageous  conduct 
in  war  had  been  surnamed  the  "  Intrepid," 
was  now  Duke  of  Burgundy.  He  was  well 
aware  that  the  power  which  his  father  had 
exercised  in  France,  was  the  more  readily 
submitted  to,  since  it  had  been  rightfully 
exercised  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  king's 
reign,  and  the  people  had  been  accustomed 
to  it.  The  case  was  different  with  him,  and 
foreseeing  that  the  Duke  of  Orleans  would 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  41 

now  stoutly  oppose  any  interference  by  him 
in  the  government  of  the  kingdom,  he  re- 
solved to  secure  the  authority  he  was  deter- 
mined to  possess  there,  by  every  means  in 
his  power.  His  first  step  was  to  conclude 
two  marriages  which  had  been  agreed  on 
during  his  father's  lifetime ;  one  between 
the  dauphin,  the  eldest  son  of  the  king,  and 
his  own  daughter  Margaret ;  the  other  be- 
tween his  eldest  son,  Philip,  Count  of 
Charolois,  and  Michelle,  daughter  of  the 
king.  By  these  means  he  hoped  to  obtain 
an  influence  over  the  king  and  the  young 
dauphin.  Finding,  however,  that  the  Duke 
of  Orleans,  who  was  steadily  supported  by 
the  queen,  was  likely  to  exclude  him  from 
even  a  share  in  the  administration  of  the 
kingdom,  he  resolved  to  have  recourse  to 
force  of  arms.  He  accordingly  assembled 
a  body  of  armed  men  and  hastened  to  Paris, 
where  he  knew  he  should  be  well  received 
by  the  people,  who  were  more  attached  to 
him  than  to  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  or  even 
the  king,  who  had  grievously  offended  the 


42  THE    STORY    OF 

citizens  in  the  early  part  of  his  reign.  Here 
he  found  the  king,  who  became,  in  fact,  his 
prisoner,  and  hearing  that  the  dauphin,  the 
king's  eldest  son,  was  on  his  way  to  join  his 
mother  and  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  he  hasten- 
ed after  him,  and  brought  him  back  by  force. 
Being  now  master  of  both  father  and  son, 
he  made  a  show  of  acting  under  the  orders 
of  the  king,  but  was,  in  reality,  the  uncon- 
trolled ruler  of  the  kingdom.  A  regular 
war  between  the  Dukes  of  Burgundy  and 
Orleans  was  now  threatened.  Both  sides 
collected  large  bodies  of  troops,  which  sorely 
harassed  the  country.  Great  endeavours 
were  made  by  the  friends  of  both  parties  to 
effect  a  reconciliation,  and  their  efforts  were 
apparently  successful.  At  a  meeting  held 
on  the  occasion  of  the  marriage  of  the  son 
of  the  Duke  of  Orleans  with  Isabella, 
daughter  of  the  king,  and  widow  of  Rich- 
ard II.  of  England — which  was  attended 
by  many  of  the  chief  nobility,  a  legate  from 
the  Pope,  and  many  bishops  and  churchmen 
— the    Dukes   of   Burgundy   and    Orleans 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  43 

swore  in  the  most  solemn  manner  at  the 
altar,  to  lay  aside  all  their  differences,  and 
live  in  peace  and  friendship  all  the  rest  of 
their  lives :  but  we  shall  see  that  one,  at 
least,  of  these  princes  had  falsehood  on  his 
lips,  even  while  offering  the  most  sacred 
pledge  of  his  fidelity ;  for  not  long  after,  in 
the  latter  end  of  the  year  1407,  the  Duke 
of  Burgundy,  who  seems  to  have  made  the 
villain  de  Craon  his  model,  caused  his  cousin 
of  Orleans  to  be  waylaid  and  assassinated 
in  the  streets  of  Paris. 

The  duke  first  endeavoured  to  conceal  his 
share  in  his  cousin's  death,  but  finding  there 
was  no  chance  of  concealment,  he  openly 
avowed  it.  The  Dukes  of  Berri  and  Bour- 
bon, and  the  other  lords,  did  not,  indeed, 
venture  to  arrest  him ;  but  they  showed 
such  abhorrence  of  the  deed,  that  he  thought 
it  best  to  retire  to  his  own  country  until  he 
should  have  time  to  strengthen  himself 
against  his  opponents. 

The  Duchess  of  Orleans,  with  her  young- 
est son,  hastened  to  Paris,  and  entreated  the 


44  THE    STORY    OF 

0 

king  to  protect  her  and  her  children,  and  to 
punish  the  murderer  of  her  husband.  The 
king,  who  loved  her  dearly,  for  in  his  heavi- 
est sickness  she  had  been  his  tender  nurse, 
promised,  indeed,  all  she  required;  but,  alas! 
he  had  no  power  to  perform  it.  Of  himself 
he  had  no  authority.  The  party  of  the 
Duke  of  Orleans  had  now  no  leader ;  and 
the  Dukes  of  Berri  and  Bourbon,  and  others 
wTho  had  hitherto  acted  with'  Burgundy,  al- 
though disgusted  with  his  conduct,  hesitated 
to  abandon  him. 

The  Duke  of  Burgundy  took  advantage 
of  this,  collected  a  large  body  of  troops, 
marched  to  Paris,  got  the  king  and  his  eld- 
est son  into  his  power,  and  then,  on  the  8th 
of  March,  1408,  before  Louis,  Duke  of 
Aquitaine,  the  king's  eldest  son,  who  is 
styled  the  Dauphin  ;  the  King  of  Sicily ; 
the  Cardinal  de  Bar ;  the  Dukes  of  Berri, 
Brittany,  and  Loraine ;  and  many  earls, 
barons,  knights,  and  squires  of  different 
countries ;  the  Rector  of  the  University, 
accompanied  by  a  great  many  doctors  and 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  45 

other  clerks ;  and  a  numerous  body  of  the 
citizens  of  Paris,  and  people  of  all  ranks, 
he  caused  Master  John  Petit,  a  doctor  in 
theology,  whom  he  had  brought  with  him, 
to  pronounce  a  long  speech,  in  which  he 
accused  the  Duke  of  Orleans  of  many 
crimes  he  had  never  committed,  especially 
of  endeavouring  to  cause  the  king's  death 
by  witchcraft,  (a  crime  which  he  had  be- 
fore endeavoured  to  fix  on  the  innocent 
Duchess  of  Orleans,)  and  argued,  that  as 
the  Duke  of  Orleans  had  been  a  traitor,  it 
wTas  a  good  deed  to  kill  him ;  and,  there- 
fore, he  was  deserving  of  praise,  not  blame, 
for  what  he  had  done.  The  speech  was 
full  of  allusions  to  circumstances  related  in 
Scripture,  which  were  most  wickedly  turn- 
ed from  their  true  sense  to  justify  the  crime 
the  Duke  of  Burgundy  had  committed. 
Although  nobody  could  be  convinced  by 
such  weak  arguments,  and  none  of  the  ac- 
cusations against  the  Duke  of  Orleans  could 
be  proved,  yet  many  thought  there  might 
be  something  in  them,  and  began  to  doubt; 

4 


46  THE    STORY    OF 

and  such  was  the  Duke's  power,  nobody 
dared  to  gainsay  him.  Deeds  of  violence 
were  so  usual  in  that  unhappy  time,  that 
even  the  murder  of  a  king's  brother  was 
not  regarded  with  that  horror  with  which 
we  look  upon  that  of  the  meanest  or  most 
worthless  individual.  The  Parisians,  who 
had  never  been  friendly  to  the  Duke  of  Or- 
leans, welcomed  his  murderer  with  shouts 
of  joy,  and  even  the  little  children  sung 
carols  in  his  praise  about  the  streets.  He, 
however,  having  set  the  example  of  mur- 
der, did  not  feel  himself  quite  safe  :  he 
went  constantly  armed,  and  was  always 
accompanied  by  a  train  of  armed  men ; 
and,  to  ensure  his  security,  he  caused  a 
stone  tower  to  be  constructed,  to  which  he 
retired  at  night,  for  at  that  time  the  houses, 
even  of  the  greatest  lords,  were  almost  all 
built  entirely  of  wood,  and,  without  doubt, 
he  feared  he  might  be  burned  in  his  bed. 

The  queen,  who  was  fearful  of  her  own 
safety,  quitted  Paris  with  her  children, 
leaving  her  husband,  who  was  then  suffer- 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  47 

ing  from  an  attack  of  his  distemper,  in  the 
hands  of  the  duke.  He  remained  until  the 
king  was  sufficiently  recovered  to  answer 
his  purpose,  and  then,  after  making  him 
grant  him  a  full  pardon  for  his  crime,  which 
if  the  king  had  had  the  full  use  of  his  facul- 
ties it  is  not  to  be  imagined  he  would  have 
done,  he  returned  to  attend  to  the  affairs  of 
his  own  country,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
a  dispute  which  his  adversaries  hoped 
might  prevent  him  from  interfering  in  the 
affairs  of  France. 


48  THE    STORY    OF 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Wars  of  the  Burgundians  and  Armagnacs. 

The  queen  and  the  Duchess  of  Orleans 
now  returned  to  Paris  ;  a  formal  answer 
was  made  to  the  accusation  brought  against 
the  Duke  of  Orleans ;  the  king  promised 
that  justice  should  be  done,  and  annulled 
the  pardon  he  had  granted  ;  the  Parisians 
began  to  declare  themselves  on  the  side  of 
the  Orleans  party ;  and  all  things  seemed 
to  promise  well,  when  suddenly  news  ar- 
rived that  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  had  ob- 
tained a  most  unlooked-for  success  against 
his  opponents,  the  rebellious  citizens  of 
Liege,  and  was  in  greater  force  than  ever. 
An  immediate  change  took  place  in  the 
opinions  of  the  turbulent  Parisians,  among 
whom  the  butchers,  the  most  powerful  of 
all  the  city  companies,  or  societies  of 
trades,  declared  for  him.  The  queen,  and 
the   Dukes  of  Berri  and  Bourbon,  carried 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  49 

off  the  king  to  Tours,  and  the  Duke  of 
Burgundy  entered  Paris  in  triumph.  He 
soon  contrived  to  reconcile  himself  with 
the  Duke  of  Berri,  and  the  two  agreed  to 
share  the  government  between  them. 

The  Duke  of  Burgundy  now  began  to 
exercise  the  greatest  severity  against  all 
who  had  been  servants  of  the  king,  and 
were  attached  to  the  Orleans  party  ;  and, 
with  the  aid  of  his  Parisians,  put  several  of 
them  to  death  in  a  violent  and  illegal  man- 
ner, without  trial  or  sentence.  He  obtain- 
ed the  appointment  of  guardian  to  the  dau- 
phin, and  as  such  took  possession  of  his 
person  ;  and  now  thinking  that  his  power 
could  not  be  shaken,  he  began  to  neglect 
the  Dukes  of  Berri  and  Bourbon,  who  had 
hitherto  stood  by  him,  and  at  last  so  far 
affronted  them  that  they  retired  to  their 
estates,  and,  soon  after,  joining  the  Duke 
of  Orleans,  the  Count  of  Armagnac,  the 
Lord  Charles  d'Albers,  the  High  Constable 
of  France,  and  other  lords  of  the  Orleans 
party,  they  formed  an  alliance  together  for 


50  THE    STORY    OF 

the  purpose  of  driving  the  Duke  of  Bur- 
gundy from  power,  and  punishing  him  for 
the  murder  he  had  committed.  The  Count 
of  Armagnac  possessed  a  good  deal  of  in- 
fluence in  Paris,  especially  among  the  car- 
penters, and  his  friends  there  were  called 
Armagnacs  ;  and  this  term  was  afterwards 
given  to  all  the  Orleans  party,  which 
was  not  very  agreeable  to  many  among 
them,  as  Armagnac  was  by  no  means  the 
man  of  the  greatest  consequence  on  that 
side  ;  but  the  name  still  continued  in  use, 
and  the  war  which  now  followed  was  then, 
and  has  ever  since  been,  known  as  that  be- 
tween the  Burgundians  and  Armagnacs. 
This  league  against  the  Duke  of  Burgundy 
was  effected  in  the  year  1410.  "  The 
Duke  of  Burgundy,"  says  Monstrelet,  an 
old  chronicler,  who  wrote  the  history  of 
these  wars,  "  resided  in  Paris,  and  ruled 
there  more  despotically  than  any  other  of 
the  princes ;  affairs  were  solely  carried  on 
by  him  and  his  partisans,  which,  doubtless, 
made  many  very  jealous  of  him." 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  51 

The  war  was  now  carried  on  fiercely  and 
with  great  cruelty  on  both  sides,  and  the 
whole  country  suffered  dreadfully  in  conse- 
quence. Each  party  in  turn  plundered  and 
burned  in  town  and  country,  and  the  poor 
people  suffered  equally,  whether  the  troops 
called  themselves  friends  or  foes.  They 
seemed  to  forget  they  were  human  beings, 
and  even  lords  and  noble  gentlemen  com- 
mitted deeds  too  horrible  and  shameful  to 
be  named.  The  following  verses  were 
made  upon  these  sad  events,  which  give 
too  true  a  picture  of  the  miserable  state  to 
which  the  country  was  reduced  : — 

"  A  chief  by  dolorous  mischance  oppress'd, 
A  prince  who  rules  by  arbitrary  will, 
A  royal  house  by  discord  sore  distress'd, 
A  council  prejudiced  and  partial  still, 
Subjects  by  prodigality  brought  low, 
Will  fill  the  land  with  beggars,  well  we  trow. 

"  Nobles  made  noble  in  dame  Nature's  spite, 
A  tim'rous  clergy  fear,  and  truth  conceal, 
While  humble  commoners  forego  their  right, 
And  the  harsh  yoke  of  proud  oppression  feel : 
Thus,  while  the  people  mourn,  the  public  wo 
Will  fill  the  land  with  beggars,  well  we  trow. 


52  THE    STORY    OF 

"  Ah,  feeble  wo  !  whose  impotent  commands 
Thy  very  vassals  boldly  dare  despise  : 
Ah,  helpless  monarch  !  whose  enervate  hands 
And  wavering  councils  dare  no  high  emprise : 
Thy  hapless  reign  will  cause  our  tears  to  flow, 
And  fill  the  land  with  beggars,  well  we  trow." 

Each  party  was  alternately  successful ; 
but  the  aid  of  the  Parisians,  who,  led  on  by 
the  butchers,  took  up  arms  for  Burgundy, 
and  kept  the  king  and  the  dauphin  prison- 
ers in  the  Louvre,  gave  the  advantage  to 
the  Burgundian  party.  The  whole  party 
of  the  Armagnacs  were  excommunicated 
by  Pope  Urban,  and  the  sentence,  with  all 
the  terrible  formalities  prescribed  by  the 
Church  of  Rome,  with  bell,  book,  and  can- 
dle, was  pronounced  against  them  in  all  the 
churches  of  Paris.  This  seemed  the  sig- 
nal for  fresh  cruelties.  Many  of  the  Ar- 
magnacs were  put  to  death,  and  others 
who  "  were  in  the  prisons  of  Paris,"  says 
Monstrelet,  "  perished  miserably  through 
cold,  famine,  and  neglect.  When  dead, 
they  were  inhumanly  dragged  out  of  the 
town,  and  thrown  into  the  ditches,  a  prey 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  53 

to  dogs,  birds,  and  wild  beasts.  The  rea- 
son of  such  cruel  conduct  was,  their  having 
been  several  times  denounced  from  the  pul- 
pits, and  proclaimed  from  the  squares,  as 
excommunicated  persons.  It  seemed,  how- 
ever, to  many  discreet  men,  as  well  noble 
as  of  the  church,  that  it  was  a  great  scan- 
dal thus  to  treat  those  who  were  Christians, 
and  acknowledged  the  laws  of  Jesus  Christ. 
At  this  time,  therefore,  all  who  sided  with 
the  Armagnacs,  and  wrere  taken,  ran  great 
risk  of  their  lives ;  for  there  were  few  that 
dared  speak  in  their  favour,  however  near 
their  connexions  might  be." 

Anxious  to  strengthen  himself  jet  fur- 
ther, the  Duke  of  Burgundy  now  ventured 
on  a  step  which  could  not  fail  to  bring  fur- 
ther misfortunes  on  the  country.  He  en- 
endeavoured  to  make  an  alliance  with  Eng- 
land, and  Henry  IV.,  who  saw  his  own  ad- 
vantage in  keeping  up  the  disturbances  of 
France,  sent  him  a  small  body  of  men  ; 
but  the  next  year,  receiving  more  advanta- 
geous proposals  from  the  Armagnacs,  Hen- 

4* 


54  THE    STORY    OF 

ry  assisted  them  with  a  much  larger  force. 
Thus,  by  aiding  alternately  both  sides,  he 
enabled  them  to  weaken  each  other  still 
more,  and  paved  the  way  for  the  conquest 
which  his  son  afterwards  effected. 

The  war  went  on  with  varied  success. 
Sometimes  the  Burgundians,  sometimes  the 
Armagnacs  had  the  advantage;  and  accord- 
ing as  each  party  prevailed,  murders,  assas- 
sinations, and  pretended  legal  executions  of 
the  adherents  of  the  opposite  parties  took 
place,  especially  in  Paris,  where  several 
dreadful  massacres  were  perpetrated.  On 
one  of  these  occasions,  when  the  Burgun- 
dian  party  had  the  upper  hand  in  Paris,  the 
state  of  that  city  is  thus  described  by  Mon- 
strelet,  who  was  himself  a  favourer  of  the 
Burgundian  party : — 

"  It  was  melancholy  to  behold  this  reign 
of  the  mob,  and  the  manner  in  which  they 
conducted  themselves  in  Paris,  as  well  to- 
wards the  king,  as  towards  the  other  lords. 
The  Parisians  in  those  days  wore  a  uniform 
dress  with  white  hoods,  to  distinguish  all 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  55 

who  were  of  their  party.  They  even  made 
many  of  the  nobles  and  prelates  wear  it ; 
and,  what  was  more,  the  king  himself  after- 
wards put  it  on,  which  seemed  to  many  dis- 
creet persons  very  ridiculous,  considering  the 
abominable  and  detestable  manner  of  the 
Parisians,  and  their  cruelties,  which  were 
almost  beyond  bearing ;  but  they  were  so 
powerful,  and  obstinate  in  their  wickedness, 
that  the  princes  knew  not  well  how  to  pro- 
vide a  remedy.  They  were  strengthened  in 
it  from  the  belief  that  they  should  be  sup- 
ported by  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  and  his 
party,  should  there  be  occasion  for  it." 

On  another  occasion,  when  the  Armag- 
nacs  had  the  ascendant,  the  unhappy  king, 
who  had  signed  the  pardon  of  the  murderer 
of  his  brother,  now,  in  1415,  just  seven 
years  after  his  death,  caused  very  pompous 
funeral  rites  to  be  performed  in  honour  of 
his  memory,  in  the  cathedral  church  of  Notre 
Dame ;  in  the  church  of  the  Celestines, 
where  he  had  been  buried ;  and  in  the 
chapel  of  Navarre,  in  Paris.     Such  were 


56  THE    STORY    OF 

the  changes  in  that  ill-guided  city,  where 
not  very  long  before  no  man  dared  to  speak 
a  word  in  favour  of  the  murdered  duke  or 
his  son's  adherents.  But  a  still  greater 
change  was  now  approaching. 


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JOAN    OF    ARC.  57 


CHAPTER    V. 

Henry  V.  succeeds  to  the  Throne  of  England — Makes  War  on 
France — Siege  of  Harfleur. 

Henry  V.  of  England  succeeded  to  the 
crown  in  March,  1413.  His  father,  who  in 
reality  possessed  no  claim  to  the  throne,  had 
felt  throughout  his  reign  the  difficulty  of  his 
position,  and  the  necessity  of  keeping  the 
minds  of  the  people  from  examining  too 
closely  the  grounds  of  his  title.  Domestic 
disturbances  had  prevented  him  from  en- 
gaging in  foreign  war,  but  we  have  seen 
that  he  looked  with  interest  upon  the  dis- 
tracted condition  of  France,  and  had  taken 
measures  to  continue  those  dissensions,  until 
he  should  be  prepared  to  take  advantage  of 
them.  His  dying  advice  to  his  son  was  not 
to  allow  the  English  to  remain  long  in  peace, 
but  "to  busy  giddy  minds  with  foreign  quar- 
rels." The  memory  of  the  successes  of 
Edward  III.,  and  his  gallant  son  the  Black 


58  THE    STORY    OF 

Prince,  was  still  fresh,  and  the  English 
looked  with  discontent  upon  the  loss  of  the 
greatest  part  of  the  French  territory  which 
they  had  won.  The  attempt  to  regain  those 
possessions  was  one  likely  to  be  pleasing  to 
the  people  at  large ;  it  would  occupy  those 
lords  who,  in  peace,  might  have  been  in- 
clined to  turn  their  thoughts  to  the  restora- 
tion of  the  rightful  heir  to  the  throne ;  and 
if  conquest  crowned  his  arms,  it  was  sure 
to  give  the  sovereign  such  a  hold  over  the 
nation  which  should  partake  his  glory,  as  to 
outweigh  any  objections  on  the  score  of  his 
deficiency  of  title. 

It  was,  therefore,  King  Henry's  first  care 
when  he  came  to  the  crown,  to  make  pre- 
parations for  a  war  with  France ;  and,  in 
the  mean  time,  he  sent  over  ambassadors  to 
Paris,  to  make  proposals  in  his  name  for  a 
peace.  But  the  conditions  on  which  he  was 
alone  willing  to  make  a  lasting  peace  were 
so  extravagant,  that  he  well  knew  they 
would  never  willingly  be  granted.  He  de- 
manded, first,  the  king's  daughter,  Katha- 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  59 

rine,  in  marriage ;  two  millions  of  crowns 
as  her  portion ;  one  million  six  hundred 
thousand  as  the  arrears  of  the  ransom  of 
King  John,  who  had  been  taken  prisoner  at 
the  battle  of  Poictiers,  and  which  had  never 
yet  been  paid ;  and  besides  all  this,  he  re- 
quired that  all  Normandy,  Aquitaine,  Anjou, 
Touraine,  Ponthieu,  Mans,  and  Poitou,  and 
every  other  part  of  France  which  had  at 
any  time  belonged  to  an  English  monarch, 
should  be  given  up  to  him  in  free  sove- 
reignty. 

The  French  king,  who  was  at  that  time 
directed  by  the  queen  and  the  Armagnacs, 
was  desirous  of  securing  Henry's  friendship, 
but  could  not  grant  all  his  demands,  without 
depriving  himself  all  power,  and  becoming 
a  dependant,  instead  of  a  sovereign.  He 
offered,  however,  to  give  him  his  daughter, 
the  county  of  Guienne,  and  a  greater  extent 
of  territory  in  the  South  of  France  than 
Edward  III.  had  been  content  to  accept  in 
lieu  of  Normandy.  But  Henry,  who  re- 
fused to  accept  any  thing  short  of  his  de- 


60  THE    STORY    OF 

mand,  had  not  ceased  to  push  forward  his 
preparations,  and  when  he  gave  his  final 
answer  to  the  French  ambassadors,  he  was 
already  at  Winchester,  on  his  way  to  join 
the  army  he  had  assembled  at  Southampton. 

Having  completed  his  preparations,  Hen- 
ry put  to  sea  with  a  numerous  army,  and 
landing  near  Harfleur,  on  the  24th  of  Au- 
gust, 1415,  immediately  proceeded  to  lay 
siege  to  that  town. 

He  pushed  the  siege  vigorously,  and  the 
town  was  defended  stoutly ;  but  finding 
themselves  unable  to  hold  out  without  as- 
sistance, the  inhabitants  made  an  agreement 
to  surrender  it,  if  they  received  no  aid  be- 
fore the  18th  of  September.  They  sent 
notice  of  this  to  the  King  of  France,  but  he 
was  unable  to  assist  them  in  time,  and  they 
were,  consequently,  obliged  to  open  the 
gates  to  King  Henry,  who  entered  and  took 
possession  of  the  place.  The  nobles  and 
men-at-arms  in  the  town  were  suffered  to 
go  on  condition  of  surrendering  themselves 
prisoners,  or  giving  ransom  at  Calais  on 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  61 

Michaelmas  day.  The  rest  of  the  inhabit- 
ants were  obliged  to  ransom  themselves  with 
large  sums  of  money,  and  were  then  driven 
out,  with  numbers  of  women  and  children, 
to  each  of  whom  was  given  five  sous,  and 
part  of  their  clothing.  It  was  pitiful  to  see 
and  hear  the  sorrow  of  these  poor  people, 
thus  driven  away  from  their  dwellings  and 
property.  Great  riches  were  found  in  the 
town,  and  these,  after  distributing  a  portion 
among  his  troops,  Henry  sent  home,  to- 
gether with  his  warlike  engines,  in  his  ships. 
He  placed  a  good  garrison  in  Harfleur,  which 
he  intended  to  people  with  English,  as  Ed- 
ward III.  had  done  at  Calais,  and  supplied 
them  with  provisions  and  warlike  stores. 

He  then,  with  the  rest  of  his  army,  took 
the  road  to  Calais ;  for  his  troops  had  been 
so  much  weakened  while  at  Harfleur  by  a 
disease  which  affected  them,  and  had  car- 
ried ofT  many,  by  the  unusual  heat. of  the 
weather,  and  from  the  want  of  good  pro- 
visions, much  of  what  they  brought  having 
been  spoiled  on  board  ship,  that  he  was  not 


62  THE    STORY    OF 

in  a  condition  to  attempt  further  conquests, 
more  especially  as  the  King  of  France  had 
now  collected  an  army  almost  double  the 
number  that  Henry  had  brought  to  Harfleur, 
while  he  had  lost  nearly  half  of  hrs  men. 
So  weak,  indeed,  did  he  find  himself,  that 
he  would  willingly  have  given  up  Harfleur 
for  permission  to  march  in  peace  to  Calais ; 
but  finding  the  French  determined  to  oppose 
him,  he  went  on  by  slow  marches  till  he 
reached  the  river  Somme,  which  he  proposed 
to  pass  by  the  same  ford  Edward  III.  had 
crossed  when  seeking  to  escape  from  the 
army  of  Philip  of  Valois ;  but  the  ford  had 
been  rendered  impassable,  and  a  strong  body 
of  troops  was  posted  on  the  other  side.  He 
was,  consequently,  obliged  to  turn  up  the 
course  of  the  river,  where  he  found  every 
pass  guarded,  whilst  his  wearied  and  half- 
famished  soldiers  were  continually  harassed 
by  small  parties  of  French,  who  were  ever 
on  the  look-out  to  cut  off  any  stragglers  or 
foraging  parties.  At  length  the  English 
crossed  the  river  by  the  ford  between  Beten- 


£i  Ik 


m  if 


iii, 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  63 

court  and  Voyenne,  which  had  not  been 
staked  by  those  of  St.  Quentin,  as  they  had 
been  ordered  by  the  King  of  France. 

Henry  now  marched  on  straight  towards 
Calais,  and  the  French,  who  had  retired 
when  he  crossed  the  river,  drew  all  their 
forces  together,  and  took  post  at  Agincourt 
to  intercept  him.  When,  on  the  evening  of 
Thursday  the  24th  of  October,  his  advanced 
guard  ascended  the  opposite  heights,  they 
saw  the  French  advancing  in  large  bodies, 
to  be  ready  to  combat  them  on  the  following 
day. 


64  THE    STORY    OF 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Battle  of  Agincourt. 

The  French  were  all  fresh  troops,  com- 
manded by  the  best  warriors  of  a  warlike 
nation ;  they  were  eager  for  the  fight, 
thought  themselves  sure  of  an  easy  victory, 
and  mustered  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
men.  The  English  were  weakened  by  dis- 
ease, and  worn  "  by  rainy  marching  in  the 
painful  field,"  and  were  outnumbered  six  to 
one ;  but  although  fatigued  and  oppressed 
by  cold,  hunger,  and  other  discomforts,  and 
scarcely  daring  to  hope  for  success  on  the 
morrow,  they  kept  up  their  spirits  :  they 
made  their  peace  with  God,  by  confessing 
their  sins  with  tears,  and  many  of  them 
took  the  sacrament.  Thus,  both  armies 
passed  the  night,  even  as  it  is  beautifully 
described  by  Shakspeare  : — 

"  From  camp  to  camp,  through  the  foul  womb  of  night. 
The  hum  of  either  army  stilly  sounds, 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  65 

That  the  fix'd  sentinels  almost  receive 

The  secret  whispers  of  each  other's  watch: 

Fire  answers  fire :  and  through  their  paly  flames 

Each  battle  sees  the  other's  umber'd  face : 

Steed  threatens  steed,  in  high  and  boastful  neighs 

Piercing  the  night's  dull  ear :  and  from  the  tents. 

The  armourers,  accomplishing  the  knights. 

With  busy  hammers  closing  rivets  up, 

Give  dreadful  note  of  preparation. 

The  country  cocks  do  crow,  the  clocks  do  toll, 

And  the  third  hour  of  drowsy  morning  name. 

Proud  of  their  numbers   and  secure  in  soul, 

The  confident  and  over  lusty  French 

Do  the  low-rated  English  play  at  dice ; 

And  chide  the  cripple  tardy-gaited  night, 

Who,  like  a  foul  and  ugly  witch,  doth  limp 

So  tediously  away.     The  poor  condemn'd  English, 

Like  sacrifices,  by  their  watchful  fires 

Sit  patiently,  and  inly  ruminate 

The  morning's  danger ;  and  their  gesture  sad, 

Investing  lank-lean  cheeks,  and  war-worn  coats, 

Presenteth  them  unto  the  gazing  moon 

So  many  horrid  ghosts." 

When,  on  the  morning  of  Friday,  the  25th 
of  October,  1415,  the  French  were  all  drawn 
up  in  three  battalions,  "  it  was,"  says  Mon- 
strelet,  whose  account  I  copy,  "a  grand  sight 
to  view ;  and  they  were,  on  a  hasty  survey, 
estimated  to  be   more  than  six  times  the 


66  THE    STORY    OF 

number  of  the  English.  After  they  had 
been  thus  arranged,  they  seated  themselves 
by  companies  as  near  to  their  own  banners 
as  they  could,  to  wait  the  coming  of  the 
enemy ;  and  while  they  refreshed  themselves 
with  food,  they  made  up  all  differences  that 
might  before  have  existed  between  any  of 
them.  In  this  state  they  remained  till  be- 
tween nine  and  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
no  way  doubting,  from  their  numbers,  but 
the  English  must  fall  an  easy  prey  to  them. 
Some,  however,  of  the  wisest  of  them  had 
their  fears,  and  dreaded  the  event  of  an  open 
battle. 

"  The  English,  on  that  morning,  per- 
ceiving that  the  French  made  no  advances 
to  attack  them,  refreshed  themselves  with 
meat  and  drink.  After  calling  on  the  Di- 
vine aid  against  the  French,  who  seemed 
to  despise  them,  they  dislodged  from  Mai- 
soncelles,  and  sent  some  of  their  light 
troops  in  the  rear  of  the  town  of  Agin- 
court,  where,  not  fiding  any  men-at-arms, 
in  order  to  alarm  the  French,  thev  set  fire 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  67 

to  a  barn  and  house  belonging  to  the  pri- 
ory of  St.  George  of  Hesdin.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  king  of  England  despatch- 
ed about  two  hundred  archers  to  the  rear 
of  his  army,  with  orders  to  enter  the  vil- 
lage of  Tramecourt  secretly,  and  to  post 
themselves  in  a  field  near  the  van  of  the 
French,  there  to  remain  quiet  until  it 
should  be  proper  time  for  them  to  use 
their  bows.  The  rest  of  the  English  re- 
mained with  King  Henry,  and  were  shortly 
after  drawn  up  in  battle  array  by  Sir 
Thomas  Erpingham,  a  knight  growTn  gray 
with  age  and  honour,  who  placed  the 
archers  in  front,  and  the  men-at-arms  be- 
hind them.  He  then  formed  two  wings  of 
men-at-arms  and  archers,  and  posted  the 
horses  with  the  baggage  in  the  rear.  Each 
archer  planted  before  himself  a  stake 
sharpened  at  both  ends. 

"  Sir  Thomas,  in  the  name  of  the  king, 
exhorted  them  all  most  earnestly  to  de- 
fend their  lives ;  and  thus  saying,  he  rode 
along  their  ranks,    attended  by    two  per- 


68  THE    STORY    OF 

sons.  When  all  was  done  to  his  satisfac- 
tion, he  flung  into  the  air  a  truncheon, 
which  he  held  in  his  hand,  crying  out 
f  Nestrocque  !'  (the  signal  agreed  on  for 
the  archers  at  Tramecourt  to  shoot,)  and 
then  dismounted,  as  the  king  and  the  oth- 
ers had  done.  When  the  English  saw  Sir 
Thomas  throw  up  his  truncheon,  they  set 
up  a  loud  shout,  to  the  very  great  astonish- 
ment of  the  French.  The  English,  seeing 
the  enemy  not  inclined  to  advance,  march- 
ed towards  them  in  handsome  array  y  and 
with  repeated  huzzas,  occasionally  stopping 
to  recover  their  breath.  The  archers,  who 
were  hidden  in  the  field,  re-echoed  these 
shoutings,  at  the  same  time  discharging 
their  bows,  while  the  English  army  kept 
advancing  upon  the  French. 

"  Their  archers,  amounting  to  at  least 
thirteen  thousand,  let  off  a  shower  of  ar- 
rows with  all  their  might,  and  as  high  as 
possible,  so  as  not  to  lose  their  effect :  they 
were,  for  the  most  part  without  any  armour, 
and  in  jackets  with  their  hose  loose,  and 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  69 

hatchets  or  swords  hanging  to  their  girdles  ; 
some  indeed  were  barefooted  and  without 
hats. 

When  the  French  observed  the  English 
thus  advance,  they  drew  up  each  under  his 
banner,  with  his  helmet  on  his  head  :  they 
were  at  the  same  time  admonished  by  the 
constable,  and  others  of  the  princes,  to 
confess  their  sins  with  sincere  contrition, 
and  to  fight  boldly  against  the  enemy. 
The  English  loudly  sounded  their  trum- 
pets as  they  approached,  and  the  French 
stooped  to  prevent  the  arrows  hitting  them 
on  the  vizors  of  their  helmets  ;  thus  the 
distance  was  now  but  small  between  the 
two  armies,  although  the  French  had  retired 
some  paces.  Before,  however,  the  general 
attack  commenced,  numbers  of  the  French 
were  slain  and  severely  wounded  by  the 
English  bowmen.  At  length  the  English 
gained  on  them  so  much,  and  were  so 
close,  that  excepting  the  front  line,  and 
such  as  had  shortened  their  lances,  the 
enemy  could  not  raise  their  hands  against 

5 


70  THE    STORY    OF 

them.  The  division  under  Sir  Clugnet  de 
Brabant,  of  eight  hundred  men-at-arms, 
who  were  intended  to  break  through  the 
English  archers,  were  reduced  to  seven 
score,  who  vainly  attempted  it.  True  it  is, 
that  Sir  William  de  Saveuses,  who  had 
been  also  ordered  on  this  service,  quitted 
his  troop,  thinking  they  would  follow  him, 
to  attack  the  English,  but  he  was  shot  dead 
from  off  his  horse.  The  others  had  their 
horses  so  severely  handled  by  the  archers, 
that,  smarting  from  pain,  they  galloped  on 
the  van  division,  and  threw  it  into  the  ut- 
most confusion,  breaking  the  line  in  many 
places.  The  horses  were  become  unman- 
ageable, so  that  horses  and  riders  were 
tumbling  on  the  ground,  and  the  whole 
army  was  thrown  into  disorder,  and  forced 
back  on  some  lands  that  had  been  just 
sown  with  corn.  Others,  from  fear  of 
death,  fled ;  and  this  caused  so  universal  a 
panic  in  the  army  that  great  part  followed 
the  example. 

"  The  English  took  instant  advantage  of 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  71 

the    disorder    in    the    van     division,    and 
throwing  down   their  bows,  fought  lustily 
with  swords,    hatchets,   mallets,   and    bill- 
hooks, slaying  all  before  them.     Thus  they 
came   to  the    second    battalion,   that    had 
been  posted  in   the   rear  of  the   first;  and 
the  archers  followed  close  King  Henry  and 
his  men-at-arms.     Duke  Anthony  of  Bra- 
bant, who  had   just  arrived  in   obedience 
to  the  summons  of  the   King  of  France, 
threw  himself  with  a  small  company  (for, 
to  make  greater  haste,  he  had  pushed  for- 
ward, leaving  the   main   body  of  his  men 
behind)  between  the  wreck  of  the  van  and 
the  second  division  ;  but  he  was   instantly 
killed  by  the  English,  who  kept  advancing 
and  slaying,  without  mercy,  all  that  oppos- 
ed them,  and  thus  destroying  the  main  bat- 
talion as  they  had    done  the  first.     They 
were,  from  time  to  time,  relieved  by  their 
varlets,  who  carried  off  their  prisoners :  for 
the  English  were  so  intent  on  victory,  that 
they  never  attended  to   making   prisoners, 
nor  pursuing    such   as   fled.     The    whole 


72  THE    STORY    OF 

rear  division  being  on  horseback,  witness- 
ing the  defeat  of  the  two  others,  began  to 
fly,  excepting  some  of  its  principal  chiefs. 

"  During  the  heat  of  the  combat,  when 
the  English  had  gained  the  upper  hand 
and  made  several  prisoners,  news  was 
brought  to  King  Henry  that  the  French 
were  attacking  his  rear,  and  had  already 
captured  the  greater  part  of  his  baggage 
and  sumpter-horses.  This  was  indeed  true, 
for  Robinet  de  Bournonville,  Rifflart  de 
Clamasse,  Ysambert  d'Agincourt,  and  some 
other  men-at-arms,  with  about  six  hundred 
peasants,  had  fallen  upon  and  taken  great 
part  of  the  king's  baggage  and  a  number  of 
horses,  while  the  guard  was  occupied  in 
the  battle.  This  distressed  the  king  very 
much,  for  he  saw  that  though  the  French 
army  had  been  routed,  they  were  collecting 
on  different  parts  of  the  plain  in  large 
bodies,  and  he  was  afraid  they  would  re- 
new the  battle.  He  therefore  caused  in- 
stant proclamation  to  be  made  by  sound  of 
trumpet,   that    every   one    should  put   his 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  73 

prisoners  to  death,  to  prevent  them  from 
aiding  the  enemy,  should  the  combat  be  re- 
newed.    This  caused  an  instantaneous  and 
general  massacre  of  the  French  prisoners, 
occasioned   by  the   disgraceful   conduct    of 
Robinet  de  Bournonville,  Ysambert  d'Agin- 
court,  and  the  others,  who  were  afterwards 
punished  for  it,  and  imprisoned  a  very  long 
time  by  Duke  John  of  Burgundy,  notwith- 
standing they  had   made  a  present  to  the 
Count   de   Charolais   of   a    most    precious 
sword,  ornamented  with  diamonds,  that  had 
belonged  to  the   King  of  England.     T;iey 
had  taken  this  sword,  with  other  rich  jew- 
els, from   King  Henry's   baggage,  and  had 
made  this  present,  that  in  case  they  should 
at  any  time  be  called  to  an  account  for 
what  they  had  done,  the  Count  might  stand 
their  friend. 

"  The  Count  de  Marie,  the  Count  de 
Faquemberg,  the  Lords  de  Louvray  and 
du  Chin,  had  with  some  difficulty  retained 
about  six  hundred  men-at-arms,  with  whom 
they  made  a  gallant  charge  on   the   Eng- 


74  THE    STORY    OF 

lish  ;  but  it  availed  nothing,  for  they  were 
all  killed  or  made  prisoners.  There  were 
other  small  bodies  of  French  on  different 
parts  of  the  plain  ;  but  they  were  soon 
routed,  slain,  or  taken.  The  conclusion 
was  a  complete  victory  on  the  part  of  the 
King  of  England,  who  only  lost  about  six- 
teen hundred  men  of  all  ranks  :  among  the 
slain  was  the  Duke  of  York,  uncle  to  the 
king. 

"  When  the  King  of  England  found  him- 
self master  of  the  field  of  battle,  and  that 
the  French,  excepting  such  as  had  been 
killed  or  taken,  were  flying  in  all  directions, 
he  made  the  circuit  of  the  plain,  attended 
by  his  princes ;  and  while  his  men  were 
employed  in  stripping  the  dead,  he  called 
to  him  the  French  herald  Montjoye,  king- 
at-arms,  and  with  him  many  other  French 
and  English  heralds,  and  said  to  them,  '  It 
is  not  we  who  have  made  this  great  slaugh- 
ter, but  the  omnipotent  God,  and,  as  we 
believe,  for  a  punishment  of  the  sins  of  the 
French.5       He    then   asked   Montjoye,    to 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  75 

whom  the  victory  belonged ;  to  him  or  to 
the  King  of  France  ?  Montjoye  replied, 
that  the  victory  was  his,  and  could  not  be 
claimed  by  the  King  of  France,  The 
king  then  asked  the  name  of  the  castle  he 
saw  near  him  :  he  was  told  it  was  called 
Agincourt.  '  Well  then,'  added  he,  '  since 
all  battles  should  bear  the  names  of  the 
fortress  nearest  to  the  spot  where  they 
were  fought,  this  battle  shall,  from  hence- 
forth, bear  the  ever-durable  name  of  Agin- 
court.7 

"  The  English  remained  a  considerable 
time  on  the  field,  and  seeing  they  were  de- 
livered from  their  enemies,  and  that  night 
was  approaching,  they  retreated  in  a  body 
to  Maisoncelles,  where  they  had  lodged 
the  preceding  night :  they  again  fixed  their 
quarters  there,  carrying  with  them  many 
of  their  wounded.  After  they  had  quitted 
the  field  of  battle,  several  of  the  French, 
half  dead  and  wounded,  crawled  away 
into  an  adjoining  wood,  or  to  some  villages, 
as  well  as  they  could,  where  many  expired. 


76  THE    STORY    OF 

On  the  morrow,  very  early,  King  Henry 
dislodged  with  his  army  from  Maisoncelles, 
and  returned  to  the  field  of  battle  :  all  the 
French  they  found  there  alive  were  put  to 
death  or  made  prisoners.  Then,  pursuing 
their  road  toward  the  sea-coast,  they 
marched  away  :  three  parts  of  the  army 
were  on  foot,  sorely  fatigued  with  their  ef- 
forts in  the  late  battle,  and  greatly  dis- 
tressed by  famine  and  other  wants.  In 
this  manner  did  the  King  of  England  re- 
turn, without  any  hinderance,  to  Calais,  re- 
joicing at  his  great  victory,  and  leaving  the 
French  in  the  utmost  distress  and  conster- 
nation at  the  enormous  loss  they  had  suf- 
fered." 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  77 


CHAPTER    VII. 

Imprisonment  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans — King  Henry  again  in- 
vades France — Siege  of  Rouen — Murder  of  the  Duke  of  Bur- 
gundy. 

The  wretched  state  of  his  army  pre- 
vented Henry  from  taking  any  immediate 
advantage  from  his  victory,  and  he  found 
that  his  purpose  would,  for  the  present,  be 
better  effected  by  intrigue  than  by  fighting. 
Nearly  two  years  passed  before  he  returned 
to  France,  and  during  that  period  he  was 
continually  tampering  with  the  Duke  of 
Burgundy,  seeking,  and,  as  in  the  end  it 
proved,  not  ineffectually,  to  attach  him  to 
his  interests. 

Among  the  prisoners  taken  at  the  battle 
of  Agineourt  was  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  the 
son  of  the  murdered  duke,  who  remained 
captive  in  England  for  flve-and-twenty 
years.  During  this  long  residence  in  Eng- 
land   he    perfectly  learned    the    language ; 

5* 


78  THE    STORY    OF 

and  whilst  he  was  shut  up  in  the  Tower, 
he  wrote  many  poems,  several  of  them  in 
English  ;  and  there  is  at  this  day,  in  the 
British  Museum,  a  beautifully  written  man- 
uscript of  these  poems,  ornamented  with 
many  paintings,  one  representing  the  duke 
writing  in  his  prison  in  the  Tower,  which 
I  have  copied  for  you.  He  was  not,  how- 
ever, always  confined  in  the  Tower,  being 
sometimes  permitted  to  go  where  he  pleased 
on  giving  his  parole,  or  word  of  honour,  not 
to  attempt  to  escape  out  of  England  ;  but 
he  spent  a  long  time  in  close  confinement, 
which  he  whiled  away  by  amusing  himself 
by  writing,  as  I  have  just  mentioned. 

His  absence  did  not,  however,  break  up 
the  party  of  the  Armagnacs,  who  still  op- 
posed all  the  attempts  of  the  Duke  of  Bur- 
gundy to  repossess  himself  of  the  govern- 
ment of  France.  Thus  two  years  passed 
on,  that  kingdom  being  in  a  more  wretched 
condition  than  ever.  During  this  period 
Louis,  the  Dauphin  we  have  hitherto  spoken 
of,  died,  and  his  next  brother,  the  Duke  of 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  79 

Touraine,  who  then  became  heir  to  the 
crown,  dying  soon  after,  Charles,  then  a 
youth  of  sixteen  years  old,  the  fourth  son  of 
the  king,  assumed  the  title  of  Dauphin,  and 
eventually  ascended  the  throne. 

In  the  summer  of  1417,  Henry  again  in- 
vaded Normandy  at  the  head  of  twenty-five 
thousand  men,  and  subdued  many  places, 
among  others  the  important  town  of  Cher- 
bourg ;  and  Caen,  which  he  took  by  storm  ; 
and  during  the  whole  of  that  and  the  suc- 
ceeding year,  he  continued  steadily  increas- 
ing his  advantages.  Meantime  the  queen, 
who  had  received  a  great  affront  from  the 
Armagnacs,  had  joined  heartily  with  the 
Duke  of  Burgundy,  and  showed  herself 
willing  to  sacrifice  every  thing,  husband, 
son,  and  country,  for  the  gratification  of  her 
revenge.  A  certain  knight,  called  Bois- 
Bourdon,  who  was  a  great  favourite  with 
the  queen,  had  given  offence  to  the  king, 
and  was  seized  and  executed  by  the  advice 
of  Armagnac,  who  had  also  taken  posses- 
sion of  the  treasures  Wfiich  the  queen  had 


80  THE    STORY    OF 

amassed  for  her  own  purposes,  and  had  ap- 
plied them  to  the  public  service ;  and,  to 
crown  all,  had  caused  her  to  be  banished  to 
the  city  of  Tours,  for  fear  of  her  interfering 
in  the  affairs  of  state  should  she  remain  in 
Paris.  These  were  deep  injuries,  which 
were  not  the  less  felt  because  they  were  de- 
served, for  the  queen  was  a  very  unworthy 
woman,  and  had  acted  in  many  ways  in  an 
infamous  manner  towards  her  unhappy  hus- 
band. 

When  she  joined  Burgundy,  she  lent  her 
whole  influence,  which  was  not  inconsider- 
able, to  the  support  of  his  cause ;  and  from 
that  time  he  began  again  to  regain  that  au- 
thority in  the  kingdom  which  he  had  lost. 
In  1418,  by  the  contrivance  of  one  of  his 
captains,  called  L'Isle-Adam,  he  gained 
possession  of  Paris,  and  his  arrival  there 
was  as  usual  signalized  by  the  most  atro- 
cious enormities.  The  Dauphin,  who  was 
in  the  city  at  the  time,  escaped  by  the  aid 
of  the  Provost  Tanneguy  Chatel,  who 
quickly   followed   him ;    but   the    populace 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  81 

rising,  broke  open  the  prisons, 'where  those 
of  the  Armagnac  party,  who  had  been 
taken  when  the  city  was  won,  were  con- 
fined, and,  dragging  them  forth,  massacred 
them  without  mercy,  to  the  amount  of  six- 
teen hundred,  or  thereabouts.  Among  the 
slain  were  the  Count  d'Armagnac,  consta- 
ble of  the  kingdom,  the  chancellor,  four 
bishops,  one  abbot,  and  many  men  of  high 
degree.  "  Many,"  says  Monstrelet,  "  were 
shocked  and  astonished  at  such  cruel  con- 
duct ;  but  they  dared  not  say  any  thing,  ex- 
cept *  Well  done,  my  boys  !'  The  bodies  of 
the  constable,  the  chancellor,  and  of  Ray- 
monnet  de  la  Guerie,  were  stripped  naked, 
tied  together  with  a  cord,  and  dragged  for 
three  days,  by  the  blackguards  of  Paris, 
through  the  streets.  The  body  of  the  con- 
stable had  the  breadth  of  two  fingers  of  his 
skin  cut  off  crosswise,  like  to  a  bend  in  her- 
aldry, by  way  of  derision  ;  and  they  were 
thus  publicly  exposed,  quite  naked,  to  the 
sight  of  all ;  on  the  fourth  day,  they  were 
dragged   out   of   Paris   on   a    hurdle,    and 


82  THE    STORY    OF 

buried,  witH  the  others,  in  a  ditch  called 
Louviere.  Notwithstanding  the  great  lords 
after  this  took  much  pains  to  pacify  the 
populace,  and  remonstrated  with  them  that 
they  ought  to  allow  the  king's  justice  to  take 
its  regular  course  against  offenders,  they 
would  not  desist ;  but  went  in  great  crowds 
to  the  houses  of  such  as  had  favoured  the 
Armagnacs,  or  of  those  whom  they  disliked, 
and  killed  them,  without  mercy,  carrying 
away  all  they  could  find.  In  these  times  it 
was  enough  if  one  man  hated  another  at 
Paris,  of  whatever  rank  he  might  be,  Bur- 
gundian  or  not,  to  say,  l  There  goes  an  Ar- 
magnac,'  and  he  was  instantly  put  to  death, 
without  further  inquiry  being  made." 

The  Dauphin,  who  now  found  all  the 
northern  part  of  France  occupied  by  his 
enemies,  sought  refuge  in  Anjou,  where  for 
a  long  period  he  seemed  to  despair  of  again 
making  head  against  them,  and  gave  himself 
up  to  a  life  of  indolence  and  pleasure. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1415,  King  Henry, 
who  had  received  a  large  addition  to  his 


fill' 


f  M 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  83 

army  from  England,  and  was  well  provided 
with  artillery  and  all  warlike  stores,  laid 
siege  to  the  town  of  Rouen,  which  was 
well  defended  against  him,  and  held  out  for 
many  months.  By  October  the  inhabitants 
were  reduced  to  a  horrible  condition.  "  They 
were  forced  to  live  on  horses,  dogs,  cats, 
mice,  and  rats,  and  other  things  unfit  for 
human  creatures.  They  had,  nevertheless, 
driven  full  twelve  thousand  poor  people, 
men,  women,  and  children,  out  of  the  place, 
the  greater  part  of  whom  had  perished 
wretchedly  in  the  ditches  of  the  town.  Fre- 
quently new-born  children  were  drawn  up 
in  baskets  from  mothers,  who  had  been 
brought  to  bed  in  these  ditches,  to  be  bap- 
tized, and  they  were  afterwards  returned  to 
their  mothers ;  many,  however,  had  per- 
ished without  christening — all  which  things 
were  grievous  and  pitiful  to  behold.  It  is 
impossible  to  recount  the  miseries  of  the 
common  people  from  famine ;  it  was  after- 
wards known  that  upwards  of  fifty  thou- 
sand had  perished  of  hunger.     Some,  when 


84  THE    STORY    OF 

they  saw  meat  carried  through  the  street, 
in  despair,  ran  to  seize  it,  and  so  doing,  al- 
lowed themselves  to  be  severely  beaten,  and 
even  wounded,  rather  than  abandon  it. 
During  the  space  of  three  months  no  pro- 
visions were  seen  in  the  markets,  but  every 
thing  was  sold  secretly ;  and  what  before 
the  siege  was  worth  one  farthing  was  sold 
for  twenty,  thirty,  or  even  forty."  It  was 
not,  however,  until  the  16th  of  January,  and 
after  every  effort  had  been  made  to  obtain 
assistance,  but  in  vain,  that  the  town  sur- 
rendered. 

The  fall  of  this  important  place  led  to 
a  very  general  submission  to  the  English 
throughout  Normandy  ;  and  soon  after  a 
treaty  of  peace  and  alliance  was  begun 
between  Henry  and  the  King  of  France, 
or  rather  his  Queen  and  Burgundy,  for  the 
name  of  the  king  was  used  as  a  mere  form, 
for  he  had  long  had  no  will  of  his  own. 
This  treaty  was  advancing,  when  it  was 
interrupted  by  a  coolness  on  the  part  of 
Burgundy,  to  whom  acceptable  offers  were 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  85 

at  the  same  time  made  by  the  Dauphin, 
which  he  eagerly  entertained,  and  there- 
upon, somewhat  abruptly,  broke  off  the 
conferences  with  Henry,  who,  full  of  anger 
at  such  fickle  conduct,  returned  to  his 
army,  and  carrying  on  the  war  with  rigour, 
besieged  and  took  Pontoise,  which  was 
held  by  Burgundy's  captain,  L'Isle-Adam, 
and  afterwards  attacked  the  remarkable 
castle  of  Chateau  Gaillard,  built  on  an 
almost  inaccessible  rock,  and  which  only 
surrendered  after  a  sixteen  months'  siege, 
from  want  of  water,  the  ropes  by  which 
they  drew  their  buckets  from  the  well 
being  quite  worn  out. 

But  before  the  siege  of  Chateau  Gail- 
lard was  terminated,  an  event  occurred 
which  seemed  to  decide  the  fate  of  France 
to  be  subjection  to  the  King  of  England. 
A  meeting  was  appointed  between  the 
Duke  of  Burgundy  and  the  Dauphin,  that 
they  might  in  a  personal  conference  the 
better  arrange  what  should  be  done  by 
each  to  secure  the  safety  of  the  kingdom 


86  THE    STORY    OF 

according  to  the  agreement  that  had  been 
made  between  them.  The  duke  was  at 
first  unwilling  to  come,  but  at  last  con- 
sented ;  still,  as  neither  party  was  much 
inclined  to  trust  the  other,  it  was  settled 
that  the  meeting  should  not  take  place  in  a 
house  or  castle,  but  on  the  Bridge  of  Mon- 
tereau-faut-Yonne ;  the  Dauphin's  troops 
being  on  one  side  of  the  river,  and  the 
duke's  on  the  other ;  and  that  as  a  fur- 
ther security,  barriers  or  strong  wooden 
rails  should  be  extended  across  the  bridge, 
so  that  no  one,  except  the  attendants  that 
were  agreed  on,  should  approach  the  two 
princes.  But,  notwithstanding  all  these 
precautions,  the  Dauphin's  attendants,  the 
chief  of  whom  was  the  same  Tanneguy 
Chatel  who  had  assisted  him  to  escape  from 
Paris,  had  lain  a  plan  to  assassinate  the 
duke ;  and,  as  soon  as  he  was  safe  within 
the  barriers,  they  fell  upon  him  and  mur- 
dered him  before  his  attendants  could  even 
draw  their  swords  in  his  defence. 

The  Dauphin  immediately  retired,  and 


"ill 

if 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  87 

as  the  troops  he  had  with  him  greatly 
outnumbered  those  the  duke  had  brought, 
he  was  quite  safe  from  any  attempt  on 
their  part.  It  is  not  certain  whether  he 
knew  beforehand  of  the  intention  of  Tan- 
neguy  and  his  companions  to  murder  the 
duke  ;  it  was  then  believed,  and  has  since 
generally  been  considered,  that  he  was 
not  aware  of  it ;  but  as  immediately  after 
he  justified  the  action,  and  countenanced 
a  false  tale  got  up  by  the  actual  mur- 
derers, that  the  duke  had  laid  his  hand 
on  his  sword  in  a  threatening  manner 
whilst  speaking  to  him,  it  is  very  certain 
that  he  did  not  disapprove  it,  at  least  after 
it  was  done. 


88  THE    STORY    OF 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Treaty  of  Troyes — Marriage  of  King  Henry — Birth  of  his  Son 
— Death  of  King  Henry. 

Philip,  the  son  of  the  murdered  duke, 
was  naturally  excessively  enraged,  and 
vowed  to  be  revenged  on  '  the  Dauphin, 
whom  he  regarded  as  the  chief  criminal. 
The  readiest  way  to  his  object — the  most 
complete  vengeance  he  could  take — was 
to  deprive  of  a  kingdom  him  who  had 
deprived  his  father  of  life.  The  queen, 
who  hated  her  son  for  having  joined  so 
heartily  with  those  who  had  insulted  and 
ill-treated  her,  (though  deservedly,)  was 
quite  ready  to  fall  into  Duke  Philip's 
plans ;  and  between  them  the  most  ex- 
traordinary scheme  for  delivering  up  a 
great  kingdom  to  a  foreign  rule,  that  ever 
has  been  heard  of,  was  devised.  A  league 
was  made  between  Duke  Philip  and 
Henry   at  Arras,  which   was  immediately 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  89 

followed  up  by  a  treaty  which  was  con- 
cluded at  Troyes,  where  a  meeting  be- 
tween all  the  parties  was  held  in  March, 
1421  :  by  which  it  was  agreed  that  King 
Henry  should  marry  the  Princess  Katha- 
rine ;  that  King  Charles,  during  his  life- 
time, should  enjoy  the  title  and  dignity  of 
King  of  France  ;  that  Henry  should  be  de- 
clared and  acknowledged  heir  of  the 
monarchy,  and  be  intrusted  with  the  pre- 
sent administration  of  the  government; 
that  France  and  England  should  for  ever 
be  united  under  one  king,  but  should  still 
retain  their  several  usages,  customs,  and 
privileges  ;  that  all  princes,  peers,  vassals, 
and  communities  of  France,  should  swear 
that  they  would  both  adhere  to  the  future 
succession  of  Henry,  and  pay  him  present 
obedience  as  regent ;  that  Henry  should 
unite  his  arms  to  those  of  King  Charles 
and  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  in  order  to 
subdue  the  adherents  of  Charles,  the 
pretended  dauphin  ;  and  that  these  three 
princes    should   make    no    peace  or    truce 


90  THE    STORY    OF 

with  him  but  by  common  consent  or  agree- 
ment. 

The  marriage  was  concluded  at  Troyes, 
in  the  month  of  May,  and  immediately  after 
Henry  repaired  with  King  Charles  to  Paris, 
and  took  possession  of  that  city,  which  for 
many  years  after  remained  in  the  hands  of 
the  English ;  and  when  he  found  himself 
firmly  established  in  the  rights  conferred  on 
him  by  the  treaty  of  Troyes,  he  turned  his 
arms  against  the  adherents  of  the  dauphin, 
who  had,  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  the  treaty, 
assumed  to  himself  the  title  and  authority 
of  regent.  Sens,  Montereau,  and  other 
places,  soon  submitted  to  King  Henry;  and 
then  leaving  the  Duke  of  Exeter,  his  uncle, 
as  governor  of  Paris,  he  carried  his  young 
wife  over  with  him  to  England,  and  after 
remaining  there  a  short  time  to  collect  sup- 
plies of  men  and  money,  he  left  her  and  re- 
turned to  push  on  the  war  against  the 
dauphin,  which  had  not  gone  on  well  in  his 
absence.  Town  after  town  fell  before 
Henry ;  the  dauphin  was  driven  beyond  the 


53 

K 

JO 

d 
w 

o 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  91 

Loire  ;  his  troops  almost  totally  abandoned 
the  northern  provinces,  and  he  was  even 
pursued  into  the  south  by  the  united  arms 
of  the  English  and  Burgundians,  and 
threatened  with  total  destruction. 

In  the  midst  of  Henry's  triumphant  suc- 
cesses a  son  was  born  to  him,  whose  birth 
was  celebrated  by  great  rejoicing  in  both 
countries.  On  the  21st  of  May,  1422, 
Queen  Katharine  arrived  at  Harfleur  in 
grand  state,  attended  by  ladies  without 
number,  and  escorted  by  a  large  fleet,  fill- 
ed with  men-at-arms  and  archers,  under 
the  command  of  the  Duke  of  Bedford, 
brother  to  the  king.  She,  travelling  in 
royal  state,  set  forward  towards  Paris ; 
King  Henry  and  his  princes  went  to  meet 
her  ;  and  she  was  received  by  them  "  as 
if  she  had  been  an  angel  from  heaven." 
She  was  conducted  to  Paris,  where  she  and 
King  Henry  were  lodged  in  the  Louvre, 
and  the  King  and  Queen  of  France  in  the 
palace  of  St.  Pol. 


92  THE    STORY    OF 

"  On  Whitsunday,"  says  Monstrelet, 
"  the  King  and  Queen  of  England  held  a 
grand  court,  which  was  attended  by  all  the 
English  at  Paris  ;  and  the  Parisians  went 
to  the  castle  of  the  Louvre  to  see  the  king 
and  queen  at  table,  crowned  with  their 
most  precious  diadems.  But  King  Charles 
was  now  seated  in  his  hotel  of  St.  Pol, 
at.  table  with  his  queen,  deserted  by  the 
grandees  and  others  of  his  subjects,  as  if 
he  had  been  quite  forgotten.  The  govern- 
ment and  power  of  the  kingdom  were  now 
transferred  from  his  hands  into  those  of  his 
son-in-law,  King  Henry ;  and  he  had  so 
little  share  that  he  was  managed  as  the 
King  of  England  pleased,  and  no  attention 
was  paid  him,  which  caused  much  sorrow 
in  the  hearts  of  all  loyal  Frenchmen. 

But  all  King  Henry's  glories  were  draw- 
ing to  an  end.  He  was  attacked  by  a 
painful  disease,  and  expired  at  the  castle 
of  Vincennes  on  the  last  day  of  August, 
1422,  in  the  thirty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  93 

A  magnificent  funeral  was  all  the  state 
now  left  to  the  conqueror — and  the  vain 
pageantry  of  the  car  bearing  the  poor  mor- 
tal remains  of  the  great  king,  with  a  leath- 
ern image  painted  to  represent  life,  with 
a  rich  crown  of  gold  on  the  head,  and  a 
sceptre  and  golden  ball  in  the  hands,  laid 
above  the  coffin — the  canopy  of  silk  borne 
over  it — the  attendance  of  priests,  knights, 
nobles,  and  weeping  relatives,  as  they  es- 
corted the  mournful  procession,  until  the 
coffin  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  Abbey-church 
of  Westminster,  served  but  to  remind  all 
who  beheld  it,  that  he  who  had  conquered 
at  Agincourt,  and  had  made  the  crown  of 
France  his  own,  was  passed  away,  and 
had  left  his  inheritance  and  his  conquests 
to  the  weak  hands  of  an  infant  of  sixteen 
months  old.  Kings  and  conquerors  are 
but  mortal,  like  their  subjects  or  their 
slaves  : — 

The  glories  of  our  birth  and  state 
Are  shadows,  not  substantial  things ; 

6 


94  THE    STORY    OF 

There  is  no  armour  against  fate. 
Death,  lays  his  icy  hand  on  kings : 

All  heads  must  come 

To  the  cold  tomb ; 
Only  the  actions  of  the  just 
Smell  sweet  and  blossom  in  the  dust. 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  95 


CHAPTER    IX. 

Death  of  King  Charles — War  against  the  Dauphin,  or  Charles 
VIII.,  carried  on  by  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  Regent  for  Henry 
VI. — Siege  of  Orleans. 

Within  two  months  after  King  Henry's 
death,  King  Charles  died.  Henry  VI.  was 
proclaimed  King  of  France  and  England, 
and  Charles,  the  Dauphin,  who  was  then 
in  the  city  of  Poictiers,  was  crowned  in 
that  city,  and  was  called  King  of  France 
by  all  his  adherents.  There  were  many 
towns  and  fortresses  in  the  north  of  France 
which  were  held  for  him,  for  the  old  party 
distinctions  of  Burgundians  and  Armagnacs 
were  beginning  to  be  forgotten,  and  there 
were  few  of  the  French  who  were  in  their 
hearts  sincerely  attached  to  the  English  ; 
for,  however  they  might  quarrel  among 
themselves,  they  liked  not  the  idea  of  being 
ruled  by  a  foreign  king.  But  the  Duke  of 
Bedford,  who  governed  France  for  his  young 


96  THE    STORY    OF 

nephew,  Henry,  was  both  bold  and  skilful ; 
and  although  Charles  and  his  friends  made 
a  brave  resistance,  and  were  sometimes  suc- 
cessful, yet  town  after  town,  castle  after 
castle  was  taken  from  them,  and  step  by 
step  they  were  driven  from  the  north,  and 
Charles  himself  was  reduced  to  such  neces- 
sity that  he  often  wanted  money  for  his 
personal  subsistence,  and  although  all  the 
parade  of  a  court  was  banished,  could  with 
difficulty  keep  a  table  supplied  with  the 
plainest  necessaries  for  himself  and  a  few 
followers. 

The  possession  of  the  city  of  Orleans 
was  of  great  importance  to  King  Charles  ; 
for  as  it  lay  immediately  between  those 
provinces  which  had  submitted  to  the  Eng- 
lish, and  those  which  still  acknowledged  his 
authority,  it  served  as  a  gathering  point  for 
his  adherents,  and  a  stronghold  from  whence 
they  could  with  advantage  sally  out  and 
annoy  their  enemies.  Unless  this  place 
were  subdued,  the  English  could  not  with 
safety  pursue  King  Charles  into  the  south- 


Ijp 

y 
life 


I  til,  * 


J,  ,  I'iiliffi1!     I'K'.i&.'i 


,,  I  f I  f ' ! 


JOAJN    OF    ARC.  97 

ern  part  of  the  kingdom,  and  the  success  of 
his  cause  seemed  now  wholly  dependent 
upon  its  possession.  If  it  were  lost,  no  re- 
source was  left  him  but  a  retreat  into  the 
south-eastern  provinces  of  France,  and  it 
seemed  very  doubtful  if  he  could  have  long 
continued  any  effectual  opposition  to  the 
English  when  driven  into  that  part  of  the 
country.  Thus  all  the  hopes  of  Charles 
seemed  dependent  on  the  fate  of  Orleans. 
He  intrusted  its  defence  to  the  Lord  of 
Gaucour,  a  brave  and  experienced  officer  : 
the  best  troops  he  could  command,  led  by 
many  of  his  most  faithful  officers,  were  sent 
there  ;  the  inhabitants  were  all  true  to  him, 
and  the  sad  experience  of  war,  which  had 
so  long  been  forced  upon  all  Frenchmen, 
was  such  as  to  make  every  citizen  in  some 
sort  a  soldier.  All  was  prepared  by  King 
Charles  for  that  great  struggle  on  which  he, 
and  all  who  felt  any  interest  in  his  failure 
or  success,  looked  as  decisive  of  his  fortune. 
At  length,  in  the  month  of  October  1428, 
the   Earl  of  Salisbury,  with  ten  thousand 


98  THE    STORY    OF 

men  appeared  before  Orleans.  He  was 
killed  on  the  third  day  by  a  shot  from  the 
walls,  but  his  loss  was  supplied  by  the  Earl 
of  Suffolk,  who  arrived  with  a  large  ad- 
ditional force  of  English  and  Burgundians. 
Both  sides  had  cannon,  but  these  instru- 
ments of  death  were  then  so  ill  constructed, 
that  their  effect,  especially  in  the  battering 
in  of  stone  walls,  was  trifling  compared  to 
that  produced  by  those  used  at  the  present 
day.  From  the  walls  of  a  town  a  pretty 
good  aim  could  be  taken  with  the  smaller 
and  less  cumbrous  pieces  of  artillery,  and 
although  these  could  not  be  pointed  or  fired 
very  quickly,  yet  the  defenders  could  often 
guess  where  the  enemy  would  crowd  the 
thickest,  and  were  thus  able  to  do  them  fre- 
quent and  great  damage.  The  Earl  of 
Salisbury  was  killed  from  appearing  at  a 
loop-hole  in  a  tower,  often  used  as  a  spying- 
place  by  the  assailants,  which  had  been 
marked  by  the  cannoniers  on  the  walls  the 
day  before. 

The  English,  therefore,  depended  more 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  99 

upon  subduing  the  defenders  by  starvation 
than  by  fighting.  They  brought  men 
enough  to  keep  so  close  a  watch  that 
scarcely  any  provisions  could  be  brought 
into  the  town,  and  before  long  the  surround- 
ing country  was  so  wasted  by  the  foragers 
of  both  parties,  the  besiegers  and  those  of 
King  Charles's  party  without  the  town,  that 
provisions  began  to  be  scarce  among  the 
English. 

Early  in  February,  when  the  siege  had 
lasted  nearly  five  months,  a  strong  party  of 
English,  two  thousand  five  hundred  in  num- 
ber, had  been  despatched  to  procure  sup- 
plies, but  on  their  return  they  were  attacked 
by  four  thousand  French  of  King  Charles's 
party,  led  on  by  the  Counts  of  Clermont 
and  Dunois,  brave  warriors  both ;  but  the 
latter,  a  knight  who  was  really  worthy  of 
that  honourable  title — wise  in  council,  fear- 
less in  battle,  and  courteous  in  society.  His 
father  was  that  Duke  of  Orleans  who  was 
murdered  by  the  Duke  of  Burgundy.  He 
was  now  very  young,   but  he  afterwards 


100  THE    STORY    OF 

gained  an  honourable  reputation,  which  ren- 
ders his  memory  respected  even  in  our  day. 
He  had  hoped,  by  cutting  off  this  supply 
from  the  English,  to  force  them  to  give  up 
the  siege,  but  he  was  disappointed.  The 
English  posted  themselves  behind  their 
wagons,  whence  the  French  strove  to  drive 
them  by  the  fire  of  some  cannon  they  had 
with  them ;  but  a  part  of  their  army,  being 
too  eager  to  rush  to  fight  hand  to  hand, 
moved  too  hastily  forward ;  the  English 
took  advantage  of  the  disorder,  drove  the 
French  off  the  field,  wounded  the  Count  of 
Dunois,  and  killed  five  hundred  of  his 
soldiers.  This  battle  was  called  the  Battle 
of  Herrings,  for  the  provisions  the  English 
were  bringing  chiefly  consisted  of  herrings, 
which  had  been  provided  for  their  mainte- 
nance during  Lent,  a  time  when  those  who 
profess  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  are 
forbidden  by  the  rules  of  that  church  to  eat 
meat. 

King  Charles's  party  were  already  dis- 
pirited, but  the  defeat  of  Clermont  and  Du- 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  101 

nois,  who  had  led  on  almost  the  last  man 
that  could  be  got  together  on  that  side, 
plunged  them  nearly  into  despair.  The 
king,  who  saw  no  means  of  offering  further 
resistance  to  the  enemy,  at  least  in  that  part 
of  France,  sought  forgetfulness  in  the  indul- 
gence of  all  the  pleasures  that  he  could  yet 
command.  Those  nobles  who  were  still 
faithful  to  him  gathered  around  him  in  his 
castle  of  Chinon,  waiting  the  result  of  the 
siege  of  Orleans  ;  but  the  hearts  of  all  were 
sad  even  in  the  midst  of  apparent  pleasure. 
It  was  determined  among  them  that  if  Or- 
leans fell,  (and  they  saw  no  hope  of  pre- 
venting the  loss  of  that  city,)  King  Charles 
and  his  followers  should  retire  into  Langue- 
doc  and  Dauphiny,  and  there,  where  the  in- 
habitants were  still  faithful  to  him,  should 
strive  to  make  head  against  the  English. 

It  was  a  fearful  time  to  all  King  Charles's 
friends ;  and  although  in  that  castle  of  Chi- 
non many  sights,  very  gay  to  mere  lookers 
on,  appeared  —  and  fine  entertainments, 
graceful  dances,  and  delightful  music,  were 

6* 


102  THE    STORY    OF 

not  wanting ;  jet  the  jojousness  of  heart 
which  can  render  the  rudest  hut  cheerful, 
and  without  which  the  grandest  shows  of 
earth  are  gloomy,  was  absent.  Uneasy, 
miserable,  trying  to  deceive  each  other  by  a 
mere  show  of  pleasure,  the  inhabitants  of 
Chinon  lived  on  from  day  to  day,  each  hour 
expecting  to  hear  that  their  last  hope  had 
failed  them :  that  Orleans  was  taken — a 
strong  English  army  advancing  on  them ; 
that  they  must  betake  themselves  to  the 
south,  where  they  expected  little  better  than 
that  the  people  would  refuse  to  rise  in  arms 
against  the  English ;  and  that  their  last 
refuge  must  be  a  flight  by  sea  to  some  more 
hospitable  kingdom,  where  they  might  per- 
chance obtain  food  and  a  tranquil  home. 
This  was  a  sad  prospect,  which  they  tried 
to  shut  out  by  pleasures  they  could  not  en- 
joy— gayeties  they  could  not  feel. 

Such  was  the  state  of  Charles  and  his  com- 
panions at  Chinon,  when  one  day,  towards 
the  end  of  February,  1429,  he  was  informed 
of  an  extraordinary  visitor,  who  was  desirous 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  103 

of  seeing  him,  but  had  stopped  at  the  vil- 
lage of  Fierbois,  close  by,  to  wait  his  per- 
mission for  appearing  before  him.  Inquiring 
further,  he  heard  a  tale  of  wonder ;  but  so 
strange  did  it  appear,  that  he  and  all  to 
whom  it  was  related  could  scarcely  credit 
its  truth,  and  felt  fearful  of  giving  too  joyful 
and  ready  a  belief  to  such  good  news. 


104  THE    STORY    OF 


CHAPTER    X. 

Joan  of  Arc. 

In  the  little  village  of  Domremy,  in  a 
valley  on  the  Meuse,  on  the  borders  of  Lor- 
raine, between  the  towns  of  Neufchateau 
and  Vancouleur,  lived  an  honest  shepherd, 
named  Jacques  d'Arc.  He  had  several 
children,  and  it  is  to  one  of  these,  his 
daughter  Jeanne  d'Arc,  or,  as  she  is  most 
commonly  called  in  English,  Joan  of  Arc, 
that  our  tale  must  now  turn. 

Joan  of  Arc  was  born  in  the  year  1410. 
Some  accounts  indeed  say  that  she  was 
born  seven  years  earlier,  but  I  believe  this 
date  is  the  correct  one.  She  was  bred  up 
to  a  hard  country  life,  and  accustomed  to 
much  out  of  doors  work  ;  some  say  she 
acted  as  a  servant  in  a  little  road-side  inn, 
and  others  that  she  worked  only  for  her  fa- 
ther ;  but  however  this  might  be,  she  grew 
up  strong  and  active,  and  all  agree  that  she 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  105 

was  remarkable  for  her  skill  in  the  manage- 
ment of  horses,  being  frequently  in  the  cus- 
tom of  mounting  them  without  a  saddle  and 
riding  them  to  water. 

From  her  earliest  years  Joan  was  a  very 
singular  girl.  She  took  no  pleasure  in  the 
games  and  sports  of  other  children.  Her 
great  delight  was  to  wander  in  solitary 
places,  and  she  was  particularly  fond  of 
finding  her  way  into  the  church,  or  sitting 
on  the  steps  at  its  entrance,  and  there  think- 
ing upon  the  goodness  and  power  of  God, 
and  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  the  saints — for 
you  know  that  those  who  profess  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  religion  think  it  right  to  pray 
to  the  Virgin  and  the  saints,  that  is,  the 
souls  of  such  persons  as  have  lived  so  pious 
a  life  on  earth  that  the  pope,  who  is  the 
chief  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  has 
declared  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  they 
are  now  in  heaven.  They  believe  that  the 
Virgin  and  the  saints  will  listen  to  their 
prayers,  and  intercede  for  them  with  God 
to  pardon  their  sins  ;  and  they  make  offer- 


106  THE    STORY    OF 

ings  before  the  images  of  the  saints,  some- 
times of  ornaments  to  adorn  their  tombs  or 
statues,  sometimes  of  money  for  priests  to 
perform  religious  services  there  ;  all  which 
is  believed  to  be  very  pleasing  to  the  saints. 
About  half  a  league  from  Domremy  was 
a  forest,  which  the  simple  country  people 
imagined  was  haunted  by  fairies  :  and  near 
this  wood,  not  far  from  a  pure  and  limpid 
spring,  and  on  the  high  road  from  Domremy 
to  Neufchateau,  stood  an  ancient  and  ma- 
jestic beech,  which  went  by  the  name  of 
the  Fairy  tree.  It  was  said  that  the  fairies 
had  been  seen  assembled  in  that  place,  sing- 
ing and  dancing  round  the  tree.  Few  peo- 
ple, and  those  only  the  most  ignorant,  now 
believe  that  fairies  ever  existed  ;  but  in  the 
time  of  Joan  of  Arc  the  case  was  very  dif- 
ferent. Scarcely  any  one  disbelieved  their 
existence.  And  every  where  numbers  might 
be  found  who  were  ready  to  assert  posi- 
tively that  they  had  seen  them.  The  mists 
of  a  warm  summer's  evening,  viewed  at  a 
distance   in   the   twilight,  assume   strange 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  107 

shapes  to  the  eye,  and  the  poor  frightened 
peasants  seeing  such  appearances,  and  not 
daring  to  approach  close,  were  ready 
enough  to  declare  they  had  seen  the  fairies. 
What  the  fairies  were  none  ever  pretended 
to  understand,  but  they  were  believed  to 
have  great  power,  and  if  pleased,  to  be  of- 
ten willing  to  help  human  beings  in  diffi- 
culties or  distress  ;  but  if  offended,  to  be 
very  revengeful,  and  do  them  all  sorts  of 
injuries.  They  were  more  feared  than 
loved,  but  were  always  held  in  great  re- 
spect. 

The  people  of  Domremy  and  the  neigh- 
bouring villages  were  accustomed,  if  they 
had  been  ill,  to  visit  the  fairy  tree  as  soon 
as  they  were  able  to  move  out,  and  persons 
who  were  attacked  by  fever  were  carried 
there  to  drink  of  the  water  of  the  stream, 
which  was  said  to  be  a  certain  cure.  The 
Lord  of  Domremy,  with  all  his  attendants, 
and  the  young  lads  and  lasses  and  children 
of  the  village,  went  in  procession  in  the 
month  of  May  to  the  fairy  tree,  and  adorned 


108  THE    STORY    OF 

it  with  garlands  and  crowns  of  flowers.  It 
is  very  probable  that  the  water  of  the  stream 
was  really  useful  to  the  sick ;  we  know  that 
is  the  case  with  many  springs,  such  as  those 
at  Bath  and  at  Cheltenham  ;  but  the  igno- 
rant people,  seeing  that  it  looked  only  like 
other  water,  could  not  believe  that  there 
was  any  virtue  in  it  alone,  but  attributed 
all  to  the  power  of  the  fairies,  and  to  pre- 
serve their  favour  they  did  all  they  could  to 
express  their  respect  for  them. 

Joan  was  very  fond  of  visiting  the  fairy 
tree,  but  although  she  no  doubt  believed  all 
the  stories  told  about  it,  yet  I  do  not  find 
that  she  ever  tried  to  watch  for  the  fairies  ; 
but  she  was  fond  of  solitude,  and  under  the 
green  shade  of  the  beech-tree  she  sought 
for  flowers  to  decorate  the  image  of  the 
Virgin,  and  at  its  foot  she  would  sit  down 
and  sing  hymns  to  her  praise  ;  and  this, 
and  attending  at  the  church,  formed  her 
chief  pleasures.  She  did  not  neglect  her 
duties,  but  when  they  were  over  she  re- 
turned  to  her  prayers  and  her  hymns  in- 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  109 

stead  of  the  society  and  the  amusements  of 
her  companions. 

At  length  when  she  was  about  thirteen 
years  old  she  began  to  fancy  she  beheld 
visions.  One  evening  she  was  standing  in 
her  father's  garden,  when  she  fancied  she 
beheld  the  Archangel  Michael,  accompanied 
by  a  great  many  angels ;  she  thought  he 
spoke  to  her  and  she  answered,  and  after 
conversing  for  some  time,  he  and  his  atten- 
dants vanished  away.  After  this  such  visions 
frequently  returned.  Sometimes  she  thought 
the  Archangel  Gabriel  appeared,  but  more 
often  St.  Catharine  and  St.  Margaret,  two 
saints  whose  images  she  had  been  most  ac- 
customed to  adorn  ;  they,  she  believed,  di- 
rected her  in  all  her  actions,  and  often  spoke 
to  her  beneath  the  fairy  tree. 

It  is  remarkable  that  to  the  end  of  her 
life  she  believed  all  these  visions  to  have 
been  real,  nor  did  she  ever  vary  in  her  ac- 
count of  them.  Many  things  which  she 
afterwards  said  and  did  were  so  extraordi- 
nary, that  it  is  not  surprising  to  find  that  the 


110  THE    STORY    OF 

only  doubt  then  entertained  by  any  was  that 
they  were  the  delusions  of  the  evil  one  in- 
stead of  the  revelations  of  Heaven.  No- 
body at  the  present  day,  who  is  at  all  well- 
informed, — and  such  are  the  advantages 
now  given,  not  only  to  the  rich  but  to  the 
poor,  that  very  few  indeed  can  be  quite  so 
ignorant  as  almost  all  were  in  the  days  of 
Joan  of  Arc, — few,  very  few  now  can  be- 
lieve that  Joan  really  saw  and  heard  what 
she  fully  believed  she  did.  We  know  that 
if  it  had  pleased  God  both  angels  and  saints 
might  have  appeared  to  her,  and  therefore  it 
is  possible  they  did.  Her  conduct  through- 
out her  life  proved  that  she  had  no  intention 
to  deceive,  and  therefore  we  may  be  certain 
that  she  said  nothing  she  herself  did  not 
believe.  But  the  records  of  history  show 
plainly,  that  from  the  final  disappearance  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  from  the  earth,  mira- 
cles (that  is  to  say,  variations  from  the 
regular  order  in  which  the  earth  and  its 
component  parts,  animals  and  their  instincts, 
and  human  beings  and  their  souls,  are  regu- 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  Ill 

lated)  have  entirely  ceased.  Many  things, 
apparently  miraculous,  have  appeared  since 
that  time,  but  nothing  of  the  kind  has  ever 
been  proved  so  clearly  as  to  satisfy  a  rea- 
sonable creature.  No  miracle  that  we  read 
of  in  either  the  Old  or  New  Testament  was 
ever  worked  without  a  sufficient  cause.  All 
tended  to  one  great  end ;  to  inform  all  the 
inhabitants  of  earth  of  the  true  nature  of 
God  and  their  own  existence ;  of  the  im- 
mortality of  their  souls,  and  a  future  state 
of  rewards  and  punishments.  This  was 
accomplished  when  Christ  appeared,  lived 
as  a  man  among  men,  taught,  suffered,  and 
reappeared  after  death.  That  last  miracle 
rendered  all  others  unnecessary,  at  least  for 
the  accomplishment  of  the  purpose  for  w7hich 
all  that  we  are  certainly  assured  of  were 
performed ;  and  therefore,  although  many 
stories  have  been,  and  some  are  still  told 
of  supernatural  appearances,  especially  of 
ghosts,  we  ought  to  distrust  all,  for  it  is  un- 
reasonable to  believe  that  such  would  be 
permitted  unless  for  some  great  purpose. 


112  THE    STORY    OF 

I  have  heard  numbers  of  stories  of  ap- 
pearances which  were  accounted  supernatu- 
ral ;  of  visions,  of  fairies,  of  ghosts,  and  of 
other  extraordinary  events,  many  of  them 
proved  as  well  as  a  firm  belief  in  what  the 
narrators  thought  they  saw  can  be  consid- 
ered as  a  proof;  but  in  no  one  case  have  I, 
upon  an  inquiry  into  the  particular  circum- 
stances of  the  apparition  and  condition  of 
the  sight-seer,  found  any  reason  for  the  most 
ready  believer  to  put  faith  in  the  tale.  Of 
all  stories  of  this  kind  that  I  have  merely 
read  of,  none  is  so  extraordinary,  or  so 
nearly  carrying  conviction  with  it,  as  what 
I  shall  presently  tell  you  of  Joan  of  Arc. 
But  I  cannot  believe  that  saints  and  angels 
appeared  to  instruct  a  young  girl  how  to 
herd  sheep  or  take  horses  to  water ;  and 
this  was  all  that,  according  to  her  own  ac- 
count, they  did  at  first.  Many  fancies  are 
apt  to  arise  in  the  heads  of  those  who  live 
very  solitary  lives ;  in  our  sleep  strange 
dreams  often  visit  us  ;  but  although  it  is  not 
always  easy  to  find  out  whence  they  arise, 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  113 

for  in  our  sleep  we  remember  many  things 
we  forget  when  awake,  we  can  generally 
trace  our  dreams  to  something  that  has  hap- 
pened before.  It  is  also  certain  that  in 
some  peculiar  state  of  the  mind  and  body, 
persons  really  dream  when  their  eyes  are 
open  and  they  are  apparently  awake. 

The  whole  country  of  France  was,  at  the 
time  I  have  been  speaking  of,  divided  into 
parties.  The  Armagnacs  and  the  Burgun- 
dians,  the  English,  and  the  adherents  of  the 
Dauphin,  had  partisans  every  where.  One 
village  was  filled  with  one  party,  another 
with  its  opponents.  Thus  Domremy  had 
declared  for  the  Armagnacs,  and  the  neigh- 
bouring village  of  Marcy  for  the  Burgun- 
dians.  A  petty  war  was  carried  on  between 
them,  and  the  inhabitants  hated  each  other 
bitterly.  In  all  Domremy  there  was  but 
one  Burgundian ;  and  even  the  young  girl 
Joan  had  been  heard  to  say,  "  that  if  it 
pleased  God,  she  should  be  very  glad  to  see 
his  head  cut  off."  Already  possessed  with 
the  strange  fancy  that  the  saints  and  angels 


114  THE    STORY    OF 

were  in  actual  communication  with  her,  and 
living  among  people  who  were  so  deeply  in- 
terested in  the  success  of  King  Charles  VII., 
it  does  not  appear  so  very  strange  that  when 
the  siege  of  Orleans  appeared  to  threaten 
the  ruin  of  that  king  and  all  his  partisans, 
Joan  should  imagine  that  she  heard  a  voice 
ordering  her  to  go  to  the  king,  and  telling 
her  that  she  was  destined  to  raise  the  siege 
of  Orleans,  and  to  conduct  Charles  to 
Rheims,  where  he  should  be  crowned,  as  was 
the  custom  with  all  the  kings  of  France. 

Joan  had  hitherto  never  spoken  of  her 
visions ;  but  her  solitary  wanderings,  and 
unsocial  habits,  made  her  parents  uneasy 
about  her,  and  they  were  very  desirous  that 
she  should  marry,  which  they  hoped  would 
cause  a  change  in  her  conduct,  and  make 
her  more  like  her  neighbours.  Joan  would 
not  listen  at  all  to  any  proposal  of  the  kind, 
and  positively  refused  a  young  man  whom 
her  parents  were  anxious  she  should  take  as 
her  husband.  The  young  laan  was  dissat- 
isfied, and  was  very  unwilling  to  take  a  de- 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  115 

nial ;  arid  at  last  the  poor  girl  was  so  teazed 
and  tormented,  that  she  obtained  her  pa- 
rents' leave  to  leave  home  on  a  visit  to  an 
uncle,  Durand  Laxart,  who  lived  near  Vau- 
couleurs.  To  him  she  told  the  story  of  her 
revelations,  and  added,  that  her  "  voice  v — 
the  term  she  always  used  when  speaking  of 
the  supposed  supernatural  communications 
— had  directed  her  to  apply  to  the  Lord  of 
Baudricourt,  the  governor  of  Vaucouleurs, 
who  would  give  her  the  means  of  travelling 
to  Chinon.  Her  uncle,  who  thought  her 
out  of  her  senses,  tried  to  persuade  her  to 
return  home ;  but  she  persisted,  and,  as  her 
uncle  absolutely  refused  to  go  with  her,  she 
went  by  herself  to  Yaucouleurs,  and  obtained 
an  interview  with  the  governor,  to  whom 
she  announced  her  mission. 

He  was  not  inclined  to  give  credit  to 
such  an  extraordinary  tale  ;  but  she  return- 
ing to  him  again  and  again,  declaring  that 
even  if  she  went  the  whole  distance  on  her 
knees,  she  would  go  to  King  Charles,  and 
Jean  de  Metz,  a  gentleman  who  was  pre- 


116  THE    STORY    OF 

sent,  offering  to  conduct  her,  Baudricourt 
consented  to  assist  her  in  proceeding.  Her 
first  care  was  to  send  a  message  to  her  pa- 
rents to  inform  them  of  the  undertaking 
she  was  about  to  attempt,  and  to  entreat 
their  forgiveness  for  forsaking  them.  Hav- 
ing received  a  kind  answer  from  them,  she 
made  herself  ready  for  her  journey.  She 
cut  off  her  long  hair  and  dressed  herself  in 
man's  clothes,  thinking  such  a  garb  safer 
as  well  as  more  convenient  for  travelling. 
Jean  de  Metz,  and  another  gentleman  nam- 
ed Bertrand  de  Pouligny,  who  was  inclined 
to  put  faith  in  the  truth  of  her  tale,  and 
had  agreed  to  assist  Metz  in  taking  charge 
of  her,  defrayed  all  the  expenses  of  her 
equipment  and  journey.  Baudricourt  gave 
her  only  a  sword ;  but  he  obliged  her  con- 
ductors solemnly  to  swear  that  they  would 
carry  her  in  safety  to  the  king.  Her  bro- 
ther Peter,  and  two  soldiers  who  were 
going  to  Chinon,  joined  the  party. 

The  journey  was  long  and  tedious,  but 
was   at  length   safely  accomplished ;    and 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  117 

on  arriving  at  the  town  of  Fierbois,  not  far 
from  Chinon,  she  sent  to  request  admission 
to  the  king,  announcing  herself  as  one  ex- 
pressly commissioned  by  Heaven  to  raise 
the  siege  of  Orleans,  and  conduct  him  to 
Rheims,  there  to  be  crowned  and  anointed 
with  the  holy  oil  kept  there,  and  which  was 
believed  to  have  been  brought  from  heaven 
by  a  dove,  and  was  used  only  at  the  coro- 
nation of  the  French  monarchs. 


118  THE    STORY    OF 


CHAPTER    XI. 

Joan  declares  her  Mission  to  King  Charles — Goes  to  Orleans — 
and  forces  the  English  to  raise  the  Siege. 

On  the  24th  of  February,  1429,  Joan 
of  Arc  was  commanded  to  attend  King 
Charles  at  Chinon.  It  is  said,  that  in 
order  to  make  trial  of  the  truth  of  her 
asserted  miraculous  inspiration,  he  laid 
aside  every  thing  by  which  he  might  be 
distinguished  from  others,  and  mingled 
with  the  courtiers  standing  around  ;  but 
she  not  only  immediately  singled  him  out 
from  the  crowd  and  paid  him  the  honours 
due  to  him  as  king,  but,  as  a  further  proof 
of  her  truth,  told  him  in  private  a  secret 
unknown  to  all  the  world  besides  himself. 
It  has  been  doubted  whether  these  circum- 
stances are  true  ;  but  it  is  certain  that  she 
convinced  King  Charles,  and  almost  all 
who  were  of  his  party,  of  the  reality  of  her 
mission.     She  was   questioned   by  several 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  119 

bishops  as  to  her  visions,  and  was  exam- 
ined by  an  assembly  of  all  the  chief  men 
of  King  Charles's  party,  who  met  at  Poic- 
tiers.  They  sent  messengers  to  Domremy, 
to  make  inquiries  concerning  her  former 
life,  and,  after  much  deliberation,  they  all 
determined  that  she  had  really  had  com- 
munication with  messengers  from  heaven  ; 
that  the  king  might  safely  trust  her  ;  and 
that,  under  her  guidance,  his  affairs  were 
certain  to  prosper. 

The  spirits  of  King  Charles's  friends  be- 
gan to  rise.  Every  honour  was  paid  to  the 
Maid,  and  she  at  once  prepared  to  lead 
them  on  to  victory.  Servants  and  attend- 
ants were  appointed  to  wait  on  her ;  be- 
sides menials,  she  had  a  squire,  two  pages, 
two  heralds,  and  an  almoner.  She  caused 
a  standard  to  be  made,  which  she  either 
carried  herself,  or  caused  to  be  carried  near 
her  when  she  went  into  battle.  It  was  of 
white,  fringed  with  silk ;  on  it  our  Saviour 
was  represented  seated  on  a  throne,  hold- 
ing a  globe  in  his  hands  ;  two  angels  ap- 


120  THE    STORY    OF 

peared  in  adoration,  one  holding  a  fleur-de- 
lis,  the  emblem  of  France,  which  Jesus 
seemed  to  bless.  On  the  border  the  words 
Jesus  Maria  were  displayed,  and  all  the 
white  surface  was  scattered  over  with 
golden  fleurs-de-lis.  A  complete  suit  of 
armour  was  made  for  Joan,  and  she  now 
wanted  nothing  but  a  sword.  This  she 
said  would  be  found  behind  the  altar  of  St. 
Catharine,  in  the  Church  of  Fierbois  ;  and 
she  particularly  described  it  as  being  mark- 
ed with  five  crosses  on  the  blade — and  she 
refused  to  carry  any  other.  On  sending  to 
Fierbois  the  sword  was  found  as  she  had 
said,  and  so  ready  were  all  now  to  believe 
in  Joan's  supernatural  power,  that  this  was 
declared  to  be  a  miracle.  But  when  we 
recollect  that  she  had  stopped  at  Fierbois, 
that  Baudricourt  had  given  her  a  sword, 
which  it  seems  she  did  not  take  to  Chinon, 
and  that  St.  Catharine  was  one  of  her  fa- 
vourite saints,  it  does  not  appear  very  ex- 
traordinary that  she  should  have  in  secret 
placed  her  sword  on  the  altar,  in  the  belief 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  121 

that  some  extraordinary  virtue  would  be 
imparted  to  it.  The  priests  at  Fierbois  de- 
clared she  had  never  been  in  the  church  ; 
but  unless  a  very  close  watch  were  kept 
they  could  not  tell  who  entered  a  place, 
the  doors  of  which,  as  is  the  case  with 
most  Roman  Catholic  churches,  are  seldom 
closed. 

As  soon  as  all  these  things  had  been  pro- 
vided, Joan  was  mounted  on  horseback,  and 
here  a  fresh  cause  of  wonder  was  found 
in  the  skill  she  displayed  in  the  manage- 
ment of  her  steed.  They  forgot  she  had 
long  been  used  to  ride  horses  to  water 
without  any  saddle  ;  but  all  these  wonders 
served  to  increase  the  courage  and  confi- 
dence of  the  soldiers.  Her  first  expedition 
was  to  Blois,  where  an  army  was  collecting 
for  the  relief  of  Orleans.  From  hence  she 
caused  letters  to  be  written  in  her  name 
(for  she  herself  could  neither  read  nor 
write)  to  the  commanders  of  the  English 
army,  ordering  them,  in  the  name  of  the 
Omnipotent  Creator,  to  abandon  the  siege, 


122  THE    STORY    OF 

and  leave  France.  The  English  laughed, 
and  said  she  was  either  an  impostor,  or  in- 
spired only  by  the  devil ;  but  they  could 
not  help  feeling  a  secret  fear  of  one  of 
whom  such  wonders  were  related. 

A  large  quantity  of  provisions  had  been 
gathered  together  at  Blois  for  the  supply  of 
Orleans,  and  ten  thousand  men  were  pre- 
pared to  guard  them  on  their  passage  there. 
Joan  accompanied  them.  She  expressed  a 
wish  that  the  provisions  should  be  carried  in 
by  the  direct  road  on  the  side  of  Beausse  ; 
but  the  Count  of  Dunois,  who  had  been 
appointed  to  enter  the  town  with  the  Maid, 
represented  to  her  that  it  would  be  more 
prudent  to  approach  by  the  other  side  of 
the  river,  where  the  English  were  weakest. 
She  yielded  unwillingly.  The  attempt  was 
quite  successful.  The  towns-people  made 
an  attack  on  the  English  on  the  side  of 
Beausse,  which  drew  off  their  attention  ; 
the  provisions  were  safely  put  on  board 
boats,  and  carried  into  the  city ;  the  greater 
part  of  the  soldiers  were  sent  back  to  Blois, 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  123 

and  Joan  and  Dunois  entered  Orleans  and 
brought  hope  with  them.  In  a  few  days  a 
fresh  supply  of  provisions  was  sent  from 
Blois,  and  this  time  Dunois  offered  no  ob- 
jection to  their  being  brought  in  from  the 
side  of  Beausse.  The  English  had  been 
so  surprised,  so  stupefied,  in  fact,  by  what 
they  had  already  seen  and  heard,  that  they 
offered  no  resistance.  The  French,  on  the 
other  hand,  were  cheered  and  enlivened. 
They  felt  no  doubt  but  that  Joan's  mission 
was  indeed  from  heaven  :  and  though  the 
English  called  her  a  witch,  and  said  she 
conversed  not  with  angels,  but  with  devils, 
they  felt  afraid  of  her. 

Joan  now  insisted  that  the  soldiers  in  the 
town  should  no  longer  remain  only  on  the 
defensive,  but  should  sally  out  and  attack 
their  enemies.  Their  object  was  to  destroy 
a  number  of  forts  or  strong  towers  which 
the  English  had  erected  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  thus  preventing  the  inhabitants 
from  a  free  communication  with  the  country 
on  that  side.     These  attacks  lasted  several 


124  THE    STORY    OF 

days,  but  were  in  the  end  completely  suc- 
cessful. On  one  occasion  the  Maid  was 
wounded  in  the  neck  with  an  arrow  :  she 
was  nearly  fainting,  and  was  lifted  from  her 
horse  and  laid  under  some  trees.  Dunois 
and  many  of  the  French  captains  hastened  to 
assist  her ;  but  at  first  she  gave  way  to  all 
her  womanly  weakness,  and  shed  tears  from 
pain  ;  but  soon  summoning  up  all  her  ener- 
gy, she  had  the  wound  dressed,  called  for 
her  horse,  retired  for  a  short  time  to  a  vine- 
yard close  by,  where  she  prayed  earnestly, 
and  then  mounting  led  the  troops  on  once 
more.  Who  could  doubt  their  success  when 
thus  commanded  ?  As  the  French  gained 
courage  the  English  lost  it,  and,  at  length, 
on  the  8th  of  May,  the  Earl  of  Suffolk 
found  himself  obliged  to  withdraw  his 
troops,  and  raise  the  siege  of  Orleans. 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  125 


CHAPTER    XII. 

Siege  of  Jergeau — King  Charles  is  crowned  in  Rheims — Joan 
is  wounded  before  the  walls  of  Paris — She  and  her  family  are 
raised  to  the  rank  of  Nobility — She  is  taken  Prisoner  before 
Compiegne. 

When  the  Earl  of  Suffolk  left  Orleans, 
he  retired  to  the  town  of  Jergeau,  whither 
the  French,  led  on  by  Joan,  who  was  now 
generally  known  by  the  title  of  the  Maid  of 
Orleans,  closely  followed  him.  Her  pre- 
sence animated  the  French  soldiers  to  the 
greatest  deeds  of  daring,  and  they  were  all 
ready  to  do  her  slightest  bidding.  They 
obeyed  her  as  an  officer,  and  reverenced 
her  as  the  messenger  of  God ;  they  also  re- 
spected her  as  a  modest  woman,  although 
by  the  assumption  of  a  man's  costume,  she 
was  accused  by  her  enemies  of  a  total  dis- 
regard of  all  the  proprieties  of  her  sex. 
She  excused  herself,  and  with  great  justice, 

for  putting  on  the  clothing  of  a  man,  by  the 

7* 


126  THE    STORY    OF 

impossibility  of  being  of  equal  service  in 
the  battle  in  any  other  dress  :  but  even 
when,  from  a  high  sense  of  duty,  plunging 
into  scenes  of  strife  and  bloodshed,  she  was 
never  observed  to  strike  otherwise  than  in 
self-defence.  She  used  all  her  authority  to 
drive  women  of  bad  character  out  of  the 
camp,  but  sought  all  her  society  among  the 
virtuous  of  her  own  sex,  and  was  always 
fond  of  the  company  of  young  people.  She 
had  it  in  her  power  to  command  all  the  in- 
dulgences of  luxury,  but  she  preferred  the 
plainest  diet,  and  would  go  without  a  meal 
rather  than  touch  any  thing  that  had  been 
obtained  by  violence.  She  never  took  any 
merit  to  herself  for  her  victories,  accounting 
all  that  she  did  as  the  act  of  God.  Often 
in  the  night  she  rose  up  to  pray,  and  far 
from  accounting  herself  as  above  sin,  be- 
cause she  believed  herself  inspired,  she 
never  went  to  confession  without  shedding 
tears  over  her  human  infirmities. 

When  we  consider  how  ready  we  are   to 
give  way  to  temptation,  we  none  of  us  can 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  127 

refuse  our  admiration  of  this  poor  peasant 
girl,  who  so  steadily  pursued  what  she  con- 
ceived to  be  her  duty,  without  suffering  am- 
bition or  vanity  to  move  her  from  her  pur- 
pose. Her  services  were  so  important  that 
she  might  have  commanded  whatever  it  was 
in  the  king's  power  to  grant.  All  she 
sought  was  liberty  to  fulfil  her  mission. 
She  was  a  handsome  woman,  but  she  tried 
to  conceal,  not  to  display  her  beauties. 
She  was  tried  in  every  way,  but  was  still 
firm,  determined,  and  yet  modest  and  un- 
presuming.  But  to  return  to  her  story  : — 
At  Jergeau  she  exhibited  not  only  that 
courage  she  had  before  displayed,  but  much 
natural  military  skill.  She  directed  the  aim 
of  the  artillery,  which  was  so  placed  as  to 
produce  a  great  effect.  She  led  on  the 
troops  to  the  assault,  encouraging  them  and 
their  leaders,  and  though  struck  down  by  a 
stone  from  the  walls,  she  speedily  regained 
her  horse,  exclaiming,  "  Friends  !  friends ! 
be  of  good  courage ;  God  has  given  the 
English  into  our  hands!"     The  town  was 


128  THE    STORY    OF 

1 

won,  and  Suffolk  taken  prisoner.  Encour- 
aged by  this  success,  King  Charles  himself 
set  forward  and  followed  in  the  triumphant 
footsteps  of  the  Maid,  who  was  now  press- 
ing right  onwards  towards  Rheims.  An  at- 
tack was  made  on  the  town  of  Troyes,  but 
the  assailants  being  driven  back,  King 
Charles  wished  to  leave  it  and  pass  on. 
Joan  would  not  hear  of  this,  and  putting 
herself  at  the  head  of  the  troops,  led  them 
on  again,  and  took  the  place  by  storm. 

Charles  remained  some  days  at  Troyes, 
and  whilst  there,  deputies  arrived  from 
Chalons,  who  brought  him  the  keys  of  their 
town,  with  promises  of  their  perfect  obedi- 
ence. The  king  upon  this  went  to  Chalons, 
where  he  was  received  with  great  joy;  and 
here  the  keys  of  the  city  of  Rheims  were 
presented  to  him,  with  promises  from  the 
inhabitants,  who  had  driven  out  the  captains 
set  over  them  by  the  English,  to  admit  him 
as  their  king.  He  immediately  set  forward 
for  Rheims,  being  received  by  the  archbishop 
and  the  people  with  great  ceremony  and 
public  rejoicings. 


PROVOST    OF    RHEIMS    PRESENTING   THE    KEYS    OF    THE    CITY    TO    THE    KING. 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  129 

On  Sunday  the  17th  day  of  July,  1429, 
Charles  the  Seventh  was  crowned  king  of 
France  in  the  cathedral  of  Rheims,  and 
anointed  with  the  holy  oil  contained  in  the 
sacred  Ampulla,  a  golden  vessel,  which  was 
said  to  have  been  brought  from  heaven  by  a 
white  dove,  in  the  year  500,  to  good  Saint 
Remy  of  Rheims,  to  anoint  and  consecrate 
king  Clovis  of  France,  the  first  Christian 
king.  This  ampulla  had  ever  since  been 
carefully  preserved  at  Rheims,  and  all  the 
kings  of  France  had  been  anointed  with 
this  oil,  by  which  they  considered  that  their 
authority  as  rulers  of  the  people  was  con- 
firmed by  the  divine  power,  and  that  with- 
out this  ceremony  their  right  to  govern  the 
nation  was  not  fully  established.  It  was 
this  notion,  which  was  general  with  all 
French  subjects,  that  made  it  so  important 
that  Charles  should  be  crowned  at  Rheims, 
and  gave  such  great  value  to  the  services  of 
Joan,  who  had  put  this  in  his  power. 

The  ceremony  was  performed  in  the  most 
magnificent  manner  which  could  be  con- 


130  THE    STORY    OF 

trived  with  so  little  time  for  preparation, 
and  whilst  it  went  forward  Joan  stood  at  a 
little  distance  from  the  king  and  the  high 
altar,  with  her  standard  in  her  hand  : — 

Her  helm  was  raised, 
And  the  fair  face  reveal'd,  that  upward  gazed, 
Intensely  worshipping — a  still,  clear  face, 
Youthful,  but  brightly  solemn  ! — Woman's  cheek 
And  brow  were  there,  in  deep  devotion  meek, 
Yet  glorified  with  inspiration's  trace 
On  its  pure  paleness ;  while  enthroned  above, 
The  pictured  virgin  with  her  smile  of  love 
Seem'd  bending  o'er  her  votaress.* 

When  all  the  rites  were  over,  Joan,  who 
now  considered  her  mission  at  an  end,  since 
she  had  accomplished  all  that  her  "  voice  " 
had  directed  her  to  attempt,  and  had  per- 
formed all  that  she  had  promised,  desired 
leave  to  return  home.  Her  father,  her  un- 
cle, and  her  brothers  had  come  to  Rheims 
to  see  her ;  and  the  embraces  of  her  family, 
after  so  long  an  absence,  made  her  anxiously 
desire  to  return  to  the  humble  state  she  had 
quitted.     "  Should  it  please  God,"  said  she 

*  Mrs.  Hem  ana. 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  131 

to  the  Archbishop  of  Rheims,  "  I  would 
now  depart,  and,  abandoning  arms,  return 
to  serve  my  father  and  mother,  and  tend 
their  flocks  with  my  brothers  and  sisters." 
But  her  presence  had  so  powerful  an  effect 
in  animating  the  courage  of  the  soldiers, 
that  the  king  and  his  advisers  pressed  her 
so  strongly  to  remain,  that  she  yielded  to 
their  entreaties.  But  from  this  time  she  no 
longer  considered  herself  as  the  leader,  and 
ceased  to  offer  her  opinion  in  opposition  to 
that  of  others. 

From  Rheims  the  king  went  on  in  a  march 
of  triumph.  The  first  place  he  attacked 
was  Chateau  Thierry,  whither  the  English 
captains  had  retired  from  Rheims.  This 
place  was  soon  surrendered,  and  Charles 
went  forward,  receiving  the  submission  of 
all  the  towns  on  his  road,  until  on  the  25th 
of  August  he  arrived  at  St.  Denis,  which 
he  found  almost  abandoned,  for  all  the 
richer  inhabitants  had  gone  to  Paris.  Here 
an  accident  happened  to  the  Maid,  which 
was  thought  by  many,  and  even  by  Joan 


132  THE    STORY    OF 

herself,  as  portending  some  misfortune. 
The  famous  sword  she  had  received  from 
the  church  of  Fierbois,  and  which  had  so 
often  served  her  well  in  the  battle,  broke 
short  in  her  hand,  as  with  the  flat  part  of  it 
she  was  driving  away  a  woman  of  bad  char- 
acter who  had  ventured  into  the  town,  not- 
withstanding the  orders  that  from  the  first 
the  Maid  had  always  insisted  on  having 
obeyed,  that  none  of  those  wretches  who 
generally  follow  the  course  of  armies,  plun- 
dering the  dead  and  too  often  the  helpless 
wounded,  should  be  suffered  to  appear  in 
the  camp. 

Although  this  accident  had  somewhat 
damped  her  spirits,  Joan  never  ceased  urg- 
ing the  king  to  make  an  immediate  attack 
on  Paris,  and  on  the  7th  of  September  this 
was  done  with  great  fury ;  the  assault  was 
kept  up  for  several  hours.  The  defenders, 
however,  had  the  better,  and  King  Charles's 
captains  were  at  length  obliged  to  retreat  to 
their  old  quarters,  carrying  with  them  the 
dead  and  wounded.     The  Maid,  who  had 


THE  ABBEY  CHURCH  OF  ST.  DENYS. 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  133 

been  among  the  foremost,  received  a  very 
serious  hurt  in  the  heat  of  the  battle.  She 
managed  to  get  free  from  the  crowd  of  com- 
batants, and  lay  down  behind  a  hillock, 
where  she  was  suffered  to  remain,  without 
aid  or  notice,  until  the  evening,  when  a 
search  being  made  for  her,  she  was  discov- 
ered. She  was  so  much  vexed  and  dis- 
tressed at  being  thus  carelessly  abandoned, 
that  she  at  first  refused  all  assistance,  and 
declared  her  resolution  to  remain  and  die 
where  she  lay ;  but  at  length  the  Duke  of 
Alencon  coming  to  fetch  her,  she  consented 
to  return  to  St.  Denis.  Here,  however,  as 
soon  as  her  wounds  were  dressed,  and  she 
was  able  to  move,  she  went  to  the  Church 
of  St.  Denis,  and  prostrating  herself  before 
the  altar  of  the  martyrs  St.  Denis,  St.  Rus- 
ticus,  and  St.  Eleutherus,  whose  images 
stand  in  that  church,  she  returned  thanks  to 
God,  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  the  martyrs,  for 
all  the  benefits  she  had  received  from  them  ; 
she  hung  up  her  arms  on  one  of  the  pillars 


134  THE    STORY    OF 

before  the  shrine  of  St.  Denis,  and  declared 
her  resolution  to  use  them  no  more. 

The  king  himself,  and  all  his  greater 
nobles,  now  interfered,  entreating  Joan  to 
abandon  this  determination,  and  a  second 
time  she  suffered  herself  to  be  persuaded, 
and  resumed  her  armour. 

The  defence  of  Paris  had  been  so  vigor- 
ous, that  the  French  generals  did  not  ven- 
ture to  make  another  assault,  but  with- 
drew their  army  and  repassed  the  Loire ; 
and,  as  the  winter  came  on,  little  was  per- 
formed by  either  party.  In  December  in 
this  year,  the  king,  as  a  mark  of  honour 
to  Joan,  and  an  evidence  to  future  times 
of  the  estimation  in  which  her  services 
were  held,  raised  her  and  all  her  family 
to  the  rank  of  nobility,  and  declared 
that  all  their  descendants,  both  male  and 
female,  should  for  ever  inherit  this  dignity. 
This  was  a  very  unusual  grant,  and  was 
an  especial  mark  of  great  favour ;  for 
when  the  king  created  a  commoner  a  no- 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  135 

bleman,  the  descent  of  the  title  was  seldom 
extended  beyond  the  male  descendants. 
The  family  name  was  upon  this  occasion 
changed  from  D'Arc  to  Dulys.  In  1614 
the  rank  was,  by  a  decree  of  parliament, 
restricted  to  the  male  branches  of  the 
family ;  and  the  last  of  these,  Henri-Fran- 
ccis  de  Coulombe  Dulys,  canon  of  Cham- 
peaux  and  prior  of  Coutras,  died  on  the 
29th  of  June,  1760. 

In  the  spring  the  war  was  recommenced 
with  spirit  on  both  sides,  and  Joan  exerted 
herself  with  all  that  energy  and  activity 
for  which  she  was  always  so  remarkable. 
At  the  siege  of  a  place  called  St.  Pierre  le 
Montier,  the  troops  gave  way,  but  she  re- 
animated them,  brought  them  up  again, 
and  won  the  town.  On  another  occasion, 
she  was  sent  with  a  few  troops  in  charge 
of  twelve  horses  loaded  with  money  and 
warlike  stores  for  the  service  of  a  distant 
part  of  the  army.  On  her  road  she  fell 
in  with  a  noted  pillager,  named  Franquet 
d'Arras, — a  man,  who,  although  in  reality 


136  THE    STORY    OF 

nothing  better  than  a  robber,  was  looked 
upon  with  some  respect  as  well  as  terror, 
from  the  number  of  armed  men  he  kept 
in  his  pay.  Ever  since  the  country  had 
been  so  ruined  by  war  in  the  time  of  Ed- 
ward III.,  there  had  been  too  many  of  such 
lawless  men  in  France  ; — wretches  who 
were  ready  to  fight  for  any  one  who  would 
pay  them,  and  when  employed  by  no 
party,  robbed  and  made  war  on  all  on 
their  own  account.  Joan  conquered  Fran- 
quet,  and  made  him  prisoner;  but  as  many 
complaints  against  him  had  been  laid 
before  the  magistrates  of  Lagni  and  Senlis, 
she  was  obliged  to  give  him  up,  and  he 
was  condemned  to  death  and  executed 
in  a  lawful  manner.  I  should  not  have 
mentioned  this,  had  not  the  death  of  this 
man,  who  called  himself  a  partisan  of  the 
English,  been  made  a  ground  of  complaint 
against  Joan,  who  was  accused  of  suf- 
fering her  prisoner  to  be  murdered  in 
cold  blood.  Monstrelet,  who,  we  must 
not    forget,    was    a    stanch    Burgundian, 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  137 

speaks  of  Franquet's  death  in  this  manner, 
but  the  fact  was,  that  he  was  a  notorious 
robber,  and  was  condemned  by  due  sen- 
tence of  law. 

We  are  now  rapidly  approaching  the 
last  of  the  unfortunate  Joan's  warlike  ex- 
ploits. In  company  with  the  Lord  de 
Saintrailles  and  other  officers,  and  a  body 
of  troops,  she  had  entered  the  town  of 
Compiegne,  which  was  besieged  by  the 
Duke  of  Burgundy.  On  the  24th  of  May, 
1430,  Joan  joined  the  defenders  in  an  at- 
tack upon  the  besiegers.  A  sharp  con- 
test took  place  beyond  the  barriers,  but 
on  a  sudden  the  Maid  found  herself  de- 
serted by  her  followers.  In  vain  she  called 
on  them  to  stand  firm.  They  were  in  full 
retreat,  and  left  her  to  combat  alone 
against  the  enemy.  She  resisted  bravely, 
but  was  overpowered,  and  became  the 
prisoner  of  John  de  Luxembourg,  Count  of 
Ligny. 

It  was  said  that  there  was  treachery  in 
this  abandonment  of  poor  Joan,  and  that 


138  THE    STORY    OF 

the  great  lords  and  other  officers  of  the 
army  were  jealous  of  her  influence  over 
the  soldiers,  and  this,  1  am  afraid,  was 
too  likely  to  be  the  truth.  She  was  shame- 
fully neglected  when  wounded  at  the  attack 
on  Paris,  and  at  Compiegne  the  governor 
is  said  to  have  closed  the  barrier  against 
her,  to  prevent  her  escape.  No  effort 
whatever  was  made  to  save  her,  and  the 
triumph  of  the  English  at  her  capture  was 
greater  than  the  lamentation  of  the  French 
at  her  loss. 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  139 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

Joan  is  delivered  up  to  the  Duke  of  Bedford — Tried  for  Witch- 
craft and  Heresy — Sentenced  to  perpetual  confinement — Infa- 
mous behaviour  of  the  Bishop  of  Beauvais — She  is  condemned 
as  a  relapsed  Heretic  and  burnt. 

Joan  being  taken  by  the  troops  of  the 
Count  de  Ligny,  he  claimed  her  as  his 
prize  ;  but  the  English  were  so  anxious 
to  get  possession  of  her,  that  the  Duke  of 
Bedford  offered  a  large  sum  to  the  Count, 
and  prevailed  upon  him  to  give  up  his 
prisoner.  She  was  in  the  first  place  car- 
ried to  the  Chateau  de  Beaulieu,  where  she 
made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  escape. 
From  thence  she  was  removed  to  Beau- 
revoir,  where  she  had  nearly  succeeded  in 
setting  herself  free.  She  made  her  way 
through  a  window,  and  thought  she  could 
drop  from  it  safely ;  but  the  height  was  too 
great, — she  fell,  was  much  hurt,  and  was 
again  placed  in  confinement.  All  the  time 
she  remained  with  the   Count    de  Ligny 


140  THE    STORY    OF 

she  was  kindly  used,  notwithstanding  her 
attempts  to  escape  ;  and  his  lady,  in  par- 
ticular, took  a  great  interest  in  her,  and 
was  very  unwilling  that  she  should  be 
given  up.  But  the  money  that  was  offered 
was  too  great  a  temptation ;  and  the  Count, 
disregarding  the  entreaties  of  his  wife,  who 
foresaw  what  would  happen,  sold  her  to  the 
English.  A  party  of  them  was  sent  to 
receive  her,  and  after  loading  her  with 
chains,  they  carried  her  to  Rouen,  where 
the  Duke  of  Bedford  was  residing. 

Joan  had  been  taken  fighting  openly  in 
the  cause  of  her  king  and  country  ;  and 
although  it  is  rare  to  find  women  wield- 
ing the  sword,  yet  such  should  surely  be 
treated  with  still  more  tenderness  than 
other  soldiers.  Even  in  those  days,  the 
worst  that  was  done  to  an  open  enemy 
taken  in  arms,  was  to  imprison  him,  and 
thus  prevent  his  again  fighting,  until  he 
was  either  ransomed  for  money  or  ex- 
changed against  another  prisoner  taken  by 
his  own  party.     The  Duke  of  Bedford  was 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  141 

quite  aware  of  this,  and  knew  that  if  he 
put  her  to  death  on  his  own  authority,  he 
should  for  ever  forfeit  his  character  as  a 
gentleman  and  an  honourable  soldier.  But 
the  English  had  suffered  so  much  from 
Joan's  extraordinary  influence  over  the 
French  soldiers — the  power  which  she  pos- 
sessed of  inspiring  them  with  what  seemed 
almost  supernatural  courage,  that  he  deter- 
mined she  should  die. 

You  recollect  when  Joan  first  told  the 
strange  story  of  her  miraculous  mission, 
that  even  the  king  and  his  very  best  friends 
doubted  whether  what  she  said  was  from 
heaven,  or  was  a  mere  delusion  of  the  evil 
one  ;  and  that  it  was  not  until  they  were 
convinced  that  at  least  she  intended  no  de- 
ception, they  consented  to  her  acting  ac- 
cording to  her  wishes.  The  English  all 
along  insisted  that  her  success,  which  had 
struck  such  terror  among  them  that  troops 
got  ready  in  England  absolutely  refused 
to  cross  over  into  France,  was  not  the  con- 
sequence of  a  miracle  worked  by  God,  but 

8 


142  THE    STORY    OF 

that  she  was  a  witch  who  derived  all  her 
power  from  the  devil,  and  consequently 
was  a  heretic — that  is,  one  who  denied  the 
sacred  authority  of  the  Church  of  Rome, 
and  the  Pope,  the  ruler  of  that  church— 
and  that  as  a  witch  and  a  heretic  she  was 
deserving  of  no  better  fate  than  burning 
alive,  the  punishment  then  inflicted  on  all 
convicted  of  such  crimes. 

The  Bishop  of  Beauvais,  who  was  at- 
tached to  the  English  cause,  now  laid 
claim  to  Joan  as  an  offender  against  the 
church,  and  Bedford  readily  agreed  that 
she  should  be  submitted  to  trial  for  witch- 
craft and  heresy  to  him  and  some  other 
churchmen  ;  but  he  would  not  suffer  her 
to  be  removed  from  his  custody,  fearing, 
and  with  some  reason,  that  upon  any  thing 
like  a  fair  -  examination,  Joan  would  be 
found  quite  innocent.  The  bishop  and  an 
officer  of  the  inquisition — a  terrible  insti- 
tution erected  by  the  Church  of  Rome  for 
the  express  purpose  of  trying  persons  ac- 
cused of   heresy — were   appointed  judges, 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  143 

and  sixteen  churchmen  were  named  as  as- 
sistants to  them  ;  not  to  have  a  voice  in 
the  decision,  but  merely  to  sit  with  them 
and  hear  what  passed,  and  give  their  opin- 
ion upon  it. 

Trials  of  this  sort  were  conducted  very 
differently  from  those  for  other  crimes  in 
England  even  at  that  time.  With  us  it 
was  then  much  as  it  is  now.  If  any  one 
were  accused  of  a  crime  against  the  laws 
of  the  land,  witnesses  were  examined  to 
prove  the  fact  against  him  ;  he  had  a  right 
to  call  witnesses  to  disprove  what  had 
been  said  ;  the  judge,  when  both  sides  had 
been  heard,  repeated  in  a  short  manner  all 
that  had  been  stated  ;  and  the  jury,  twelve 
men  chosen  so  as  to  have  no  interest  to 
favour  either  party,  determined  whether 
the  crime  had  been  proved  or  not ;  and  if 
they  said  that  the  prisoner  was  guilty,  the 
judge  pronounced  his  punishment.  But 
for  heresy,  and  other  crimes  against  the 
church,  a  very  different  course  was  taken. 
At   the    present    day,    (having    long   ago 


144  THE    STORY    OF 

thrown  off  the  authority  of  the  Church  of 
Rome,  and  every  body  is  at  liberty  to  en- 
tertain any  opinions  he  may  please  respect- 
ing religion,)  we  can  have  no  trials  for  her- 
esy ;  but  you  may  feel  some  curiosity  to 
know  how  such  inquiries  are  conducted, 
which  you  may  in  a  good  measure  learn 
from  the  course  of  proceeding  against 
Joan. 

Few  witnesses  were  examined  against 
her,  and  none  face  to  face.  The  principal 
were  some  of  those  English  soldiers  who 
were  so  terrified  at  her  renown  that  they 
refused  to  come  to  France  to  fight  against 
her.  They  swore  that  nothing  but  witch- 
craft could  have  made  them  so  afraid,  and 
her  very  judges  seemed  ashamed  to  make 
any  use  of  such  evidence.  They  sought 
chiefly,  as  is  still  customary  on  like  occa- 
sions— for  such  trials,  although  now  very 
rare,  do  occasionally  take  place  in  countries 
where  the  Pope  has  power — to  convict  her 
from  her  own  mouth. 

She  was  kept  in  very  close  and  severe 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  145 

confinement,  in  a  stone  dungeon,  fettered 
with  iron  chains,  and  poorly  fed,  and  from 
time  to  time  brought  out  into  a  large  hall, 
where  her  judges  were  assembled,  and 
there  questioned  closely,  sometimes  for 
hours  together,  upon  all  the  circumstances 
of  her  past  life.  This  went  on,  not  for  a 
few  days,  or  even  weeks,  but  for  some 
months,  and  was  in  itself  so  trying,  that  it 
had  been  no  wonder  if,  from  very  weari- 
ness and  exhaustion,  she  had  said  foolish 
things.  Sometimes  she  was  brought  up 
two  or  three  days  running,  and  then  left 
several  days  together  without  interruption ; 
but  she  never  wavered  in  her  statements, 
or  made  any  variation  in  them.  She  told 
clearly  and  distinctly  all  she  had  said  when 
she  first  went  to  the  king.  She  avowed 
all  her  predictions,  and  even  added  one  to 
them,  saying  that  within  seven  years  the 
English  would  lose  a  much  more  important 
place  than  Orleans.  She  was  quite  right, 
for  Paris  fell  into  King  Charles's  hands  in 
the  spring  of  1446.     But  in  this  she  need- 


146  THE    STORY    OF 

ed  no  supernatural  aid,  for  the  English 
power  in  France  was  already  shaken,  and 
the  wars  at  home,  which  in  the  end  caused 
the  loss  of  all  their  conquests,  were  fore- 
seen by  many  besides  the  Maid. 

Her  firmness,  and  evident  belief  in  all 
she  said,  had  an  effect  upon  the  judges,  and 
one  of  them,  with  the  hope  of  getting  her 
out  of  the  power  of  Bedford  and  the  Eng- 
lish, advised  her  to  appeal  to  the  Pope.  She 
did  so  immediately,  but  the  Bishop  of  Beau- 
vais,  who  was  a  cruel-hearted  man,  and 
ready  to  do  any  thing  he  could,  with  safety 
to  himself,  to  please  the  English,  interfered 
at  once,  and  forbade  the  secretary  in  attend- 
ance to  make  any  note  of  Joan's  appeal  in 
the  record  he  kept  of  their  proceedings. 
Still,  however,  Joan  had  confessed  nothing, 
and  nothing  had  been  proved  against  her 
which  could  be,  even  by  altering  some  of 
the  expressions  used  by  her,  deemed  any  of- 
fence to  the  church ;  and  even  Beauvais, 
ready  as  he  was  to  do  any  thing  to  please 
Bedford,  knew  that  he  might  afterwards  be 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  147 

called  to  account  by  the  Pope,  if  he  gave  a 
false  judgment,  and  was  unwilling  to  pro- 
ceed further. 

Joan  about  this  time  fell  ill,  and  Bedford 
was  more  anxious  than  ever  that  she  should 
be  condemned  and  executed,  being  fearful 
that  she  would  die  in  prison,  Beauvais 
upon  this  agreed  to  draw  up  a  statement  of 
twelve  offences,  which  he  asserted  had  been 
proved  against  Joan,  and  sent  them  to  the 
supreme  court  of  law  then  assembled  in 
Paris,  that  he  might  have  their  sanction,  to 
save  himself  from  the  consequences  of  so 
unjust  an  act.  There  was  scarcely  a  word 
of  truth  in  the  statement  he  sent  to  Paris, 
but  the  court  there  confirmed  it  at  once, 
and  ordered  him  to  proceed  to  judgment. 
Still  he  was  unwilling  to  do  this  before  Joan 
had  herself  confessed  all  the  false  tale  he 
had  told  of  her ;  for  if  she  had  done  so,  he 
could  have  excused  himself  readily,  as  in 
the  case  of  heretics ;  and  sometimes,  but 
much  less  frequently,  in  other  crimes  it  was 
the  practice  to  use  cruel  tortures  to  make 


148  THE    STORY    OF 

accused  persons  confess  themselves  guilty, 
and  name  those  who  had  acted  with  them. 
Joan  had  never  confessed  any  crime,  but  the 
bishop  had  the  instruments  of  torture  and 
the  executioner  brought  into  her  cell,  and 
threatened  her  that  no  mercy  should  be 
shown  her,  if  she  would  not  confess  herself 
guilty  of  witchcraft,  heresy,  and  other 
crimes  which  he  had  laid  to  her  charge. 
She  was  still  resolute,  and  that  he  did  not 
actually  put  her  to  the  torture  appears 
strange.  He  had,  however,  devised  another 
means  of  compassing  his  object,  and  this 
alone  could  have  induced  him  to  spare  her 
that  suffering,  for  he  was  a  mean-spirited 
and  pitiless  monster. 

On  the  24th  of  May,  1431,  she  was 
brought  out  into  the  churchyard  of  the  Ab- 
bey of  St.  Ouen,  to  hear  the  formal  sen- 
tence pronounced  against  her  in  public. 
Here,  stationed  on  a  high  scaffold,  she  was 
exhibited  to  a  large  concourse  of  people ; 
but  although  the  object  on  which  so  many 
unfriendly  eyes  were  fixed,  and  expecting 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  149 

every  moment  to  hear  her  death-sentence, 
she  was  still  undaunted.  In  the  first  place, 
a  priest  got  up  and  made  a  long  address  to 
the  people,  in  which  he  abused  poor  Joan 
without  mercy.  This  she  bore  quietly,  but 
when  he  began  to  attack  King  Charles,  call- 
ing him  a  heretic,  and  the  friend  of  heretics, 
the  ruiner  of  the  kingdom,  and  of  the  souls 
of  the  people,  she  boldly  interrupted  him, 
and  declared,  "  that  there  was  not  a  better 
Christian  or  friend  to  the  church  in  all 
France  than  King  Charles  the  Seventh." 
She  was  soon  silenced,  and  they  proceeded 
to  read  a  long  accusation  against  her,  charg- 
ing her  with  many  crimes  she  had  never 
committed,  and  some  it  is  impossible  to 
commit ;  then  they  demanded  if  she  would 
submit  herself  to  the  church  which  had  con- 
demned her  as  guilty  of  these  crimes,  and 
abjure  them.  She  replied  she  did  not  know 
what  they  meant  by  abjuring,  but  she  was 
willing  to  submit  to  the  Pope.  She  was 
then  sentenced  to  be  burned  alive,  and  again 
asked  if  she  would  submit,     She  said  she 

8* 


150  THE    STORY    OF 

desired  to  save  her  life,  was  not  guilty  of  all 
they  had  said  of  her,  yet  would  submit  to 
whatever  else  they  pleased.  A  short  paper 
was  then  read  to  her,  (it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  she  eould  neither  read  nor  write,) 
in  which  it  was  stated,  that  she  submitted 
herself  in  all  things  to  the  Church  of  Rome; 
would  no  more  carry  arms,  nor  use  the  dress 
of  men,  things  deemed  scandalous  by  the 
church ;  and  would  adopt  the  dress  of  wo- 
men, and  let  her  hair  grow:  upon  which 
conditions  her  punishment  was  to  be  com- 
muted to  confinement  for  life  in  the  prisons 
of  the  church,  "  to  eat  the  bread  of  grief, 
and  drink  the  water  of  anguish."  To  save 
her  life  she  said  she  was  ready  to  agree  to 
this,  and  a  paper  was  presented  to  her,  to 
which  she  affixed  her  mark ;  but  it  was  not 
the  paper  that  had  been  read  to  her,  but  a 
long  confession  of  abominable  crimes,  which 
she  never  could  be  brought  by  the  greatest 
terrors  to  confess. 

All  the  vilely  deceitful  conduct  which  was 
practised   towards  Joan    was   not   counte- 


JOAN   OF    ARC.  151 

nanced  by  the  rules  of  the  Church  of  Rome, 
the  commutation  of  punishment  upon  sub- 
mission and  confession  of  a  first  crime  was 
obligatory  upon  its  officers.  They  them- 
selves would  be  subject  to  punishment  if 
they  denied  it.  The  Bishop  of  Beauvais, 
who  very  well  knew  how  wrongly  he  had 
acted,  and  had  done  all  that  he  had  to  please 
the  Duke  of  Bedford,  yet  with  fear  and 
trembling  for  the  consequences  to  himself 
should  he  commit  any  informality  in  a  trial 
and  judgment  of  which  he  had  the  manage- 
ment, ought  to  have  now  taken  the  Maid 
out  of  the  duke's  hands,  and  committed  her 
to  a  prison  over  which  he  had  the  control. 
It  was  with  this  object — to  be  placed  in  the 
care  of  her  own  countrymen,  instead  of  the 
English,  who  had  treated  her  with  a  cruelty 
which  was  very  shameful — (the  misery  of 
confinement  in  a  dungeon  is  quite  enough 
without  adding  insult  to  it) — it  was  with 
this  object  that  Joan  had  agreed  to  do  any 
thing  to  save  her  life  ;  but  when  the  bishop 
proposed  to  take  her  into  his  own  care,  the 


152  THE    STORY    OF 

duke  took  forcible  possession  of  her,  and 
carrying  her  back  to  her  old  cell,  replaced 
her  chains,  and  had  her  guarded  by  five 
soldiers,  some  of  whom  were  constantly 
with  her,  and  had  orders  to  prevent  her 
from  sleeping.  He,  moreover,  told  the 
bishop  that  he  was  not  satisfied  with  what 
had  passed,  and  insisted  that  her  life  should 
not  be  spared.  The  bishop  promised  that 
he  should  be  satisfied,  and  he  kept  his  word. 
Although  poor  Joan  was  prevented  from 
taking  her  rest  peaceably,  yet  human  na- 
ture cannot  endure  without  sleep.  It  may 
be,  too,  that  the  hearts  of  her  keepers  were 
not  so  hard  as  those  of  their  masters. 
However  this  be,  one  night  she  slept 
soundly.  One  of  the  conditions  she  had 
agreed  to,  for  the  permission  to  live,  was  to 
put  on  woman's  clothes,  and  this  she  had 
done.  These  clothes  were,  by  the  bishop's 
orders,  removed,  and  the  clothes  she  had 
been  used  to  wear  when  she  was  free  and 
happy,  and  had  led  on  the  soldiers  of  her 
king   to   victory,    were    laid    by   her   side. 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  153 

When  she  awoke  she  had  no  choice  but  to 
put  them  on,  or  remain  the  scoff  of  the 
rude  soldiers.  She  dressed  herself  in  them, 
perhaps  sadly  thinking  of  the  days  that 
were  passed.  The  bishop  was  on  the 
watch,  and  no  sooner  had  he  heard  that 
she  had  done  an  act  contrary  to  her  agree- 
ment, than  he  hastened  to  make  himself 
a  witness  of  the  fact,  hurried  away,  and 
meeting  the  Duke  of  Bedford  on  his  way, 
told  him  to  "  make  himself  easy,  for  the 
thing  was  done,"  proceeded  to  summon  the 
other  judges,  and  immediately  procured  a 
sentence  of  death  on  Joan,  as  one  who  had 
a  second  time  disobeyed  the  orders  of  the 
church — as  a  "  relapsed  heretic" — and  her 
execution  was  fixed  for  the  next  day. 

On  the  morning  of  the  31st  of  May, 
1431,  the  bishop  sent  Martin,  an  officer  of 
the  Inquisition,  who  had  been  one  of  the 
judges,  to  announce  to  Joan  that  sentence 
of  death  was  passed  upon  her,  and  that  she 
would  be  burned  alive  that  morning.  She 
was  startled  at  the  intelligence,  and    fell 


154  THE    STORY    OF 

into  such  an  agony  of  grief  that  even  the 
stern  inquisitor  was  moved  to  pity  at  the 
sight  of  such  misery  in  one  so  young,  and, 
as  he  full  well  knew,  so  innocent.  He 
strove  all  he  could  to  console  her,  and  heard 
her  confession.  She  then  entreated  that 
the  sacrament  might  be  given  her.  Now, 
as  sentence  of  excommunication  had  been 
passed  upon  her,  it  was  against  the  rules 
of  the  church  to  permit  her  to  receive  the 
sacrament,  and  Martin  hesitated.  He  con- 
sented, however,  to  send  and  consult  the 
bishop,  who,  strange  to  say,  granted  his 
permission,  and  it  was  administered  to  her 
by  Martin.  Now,  if  these  men  had  believ- 
ed her  guilty  of  all  the  crimes  they  had 
condemned  her  for,  they  acted  wrong  in 
acceding  to  her  request.  It  is  very  clear 
evidence  that  their  consciences  reproached 
them  for  the  weak  and  wicked  manner  in 
which  they  had  yielded  to  the  wishes  and 
power  of  the  Duke  of  Bedford. 

At  the  hour  of  nine  she  was  placed  on  a 
car  between  Martin  and  Isambert,  another 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  155 

of  her  judges,  the  merciful  one  who  had 
recommended  her  to  appeal  to  the  Pope. 
They  both  offered  her  all  the  consolations 
they  could,  and  entreated  her  forgiveness 
for  the  share  they  had  in  her  death. 
She  granted  it;  and  thus,  uttering  bitter 
lamentations  as  she  went  along,  so  piteous 
that  the  very  English  soldiers  who  guarded 
her  were  moved  to  tears,  she  was  led  along 
to  the  place  of  execution,  the  market-place, 
which  has  ever  since  been  called  by  her 
name.  Here  her  sentence  was  read  by  the 
Bishop  of  Beauvais.  She  declared  her  in- 
nocence, and  entreated  the  prayers  of  all 
who  beheld  her.  She  was  then  led  to 
the  scaffold,  which  had  been  raised  on  a 
mound  of  earth,  that  she  might  be  visible 
to  all  the  people,  of  whom  a  vast  multitude 
had  collected.  Martin  still  accompanied 
her  in  spite  of  the  soldiers,  who  tried  to 
keep  him  back.  At  the  foot  of  the  mound 
she  begged  for  a  crucifix  ;  an  Englishman 
who  was  present  broke  a  stick,  and  made 
her  a  sort  of     a    cross,  which  she    took, 


156  THE    STORY    OF 

kissed,  and  placed  in  her  bosom  ;  she  then 
ascended  the  pile,  where  they  bound  her  to 
the  stake,  and  set  fire  to  the  faggots.  Friar 
Martin  still  remained  by  her  side,  exhorting 
her  to  put  her  faith  in  Christ,  and  to  pray 
to  Him  to  give  her  strength,  even  after  the 
flames  had  begun  to  rise,  and  threatened  to 
set  fire  to  his  dress.  Joan  was  the  first  to 
perceive  his  danger,  and  warned  him  of  it. 
She  then  requested  him  to  take  the  cruci- 
fix, and  standing  at  the  foot  of  the  mound 
hold  it  full  in  her  sight  till  all  was  over,  and 
continue  to  exhort  her — and  this  he  faith- 
fully did. 

The  pile  was  ill  arranged  and  burned 
slowly.  Still,  in  the  midst  of  her  torture, 
she  was  heard  calling  on  the  name  of 
Jesus  ;  and  at  length,  after  enduring  long 
and  terrible  agony,  Joan  of  Arc,  the  saviour 
of  the  French  kingdom,  expired,  to  the 
everlasting  disgrace  of  both  French  and 
English,  of  her  friends  and  her  enemies. 

After  her  death,  the  Cardinal  of  Win- 
chester ordered  her  ashes  to  be  collected 
and  thrown  into  the  Seine. 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  157 


CHAPTER     XIV. 

Decline  of  the  English  Power  in  France — Quarrel  between  the 
Dukes  of  Bedford  and  Burgundy — Treaty  of  Arras — Death  of 
the  Duke  of  Bedford — Loss  of  Paris — Marriage  of  King  Henry 
— The  English  lose  all  their  French  Dominions  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Calais — Conclusion. 

The  English  no  doubt  thought  that  the 
death  of  the  Maid  would  dispirit  the 
French,  and  that  they  should  now  have 
no  difficulty  in  driving  King  Charles  out 
of  the  kingdom,  and  governing  the  whole 
country  themselves ;  but  they  were  greatly 
mistaken,  for  within  twenty  years  after  the 
death  of  Joan  of  Arc,  the  English  had  lost 
every  thing  they  possessed  in  France,  ex- 
cept Calais. 

The  disposition  to  return  to  their  obe- 
dience to  King  Charles  became  stronger 
every  day  with  the  French  ;  and  although 
the  Duke  of  Bedford  brought  ove*r  the 
young  king,  and  caused  him  to  be  crowned 
in  a  very  magnificent  manner  at  Paris, 
hoping  that  his  presence,  and  the  perform- 


158  THE    STORY    OF 

ance  of  this  ceremony,  would  serve  to 
fix  the  French  in  their  adherence  to  Eng- 
land, jet  it  soon  became  very  plain  that 
their  dislike  to  a  foreign  rule  was  continu- 
ally increasing,  and  that  the  hearts  of  the 
people  were  fast  returning  to  their  alle- 
giance to  their  own  native  king.  The 
English,  too,  met  with  continual  bad  suc- 
cess in  almost  every  skirmish.  The  city 
of  Chartres  was  taken  by  the  Count  Du- 
nois,  and  some  other  lords,  by  a  stratagem ; 
a  body  of  English  were  defeated  under  Lord 
Willoughby ;  a  daring  French  captain,  named 
De  Lore,  actually  plundered  the  fair  which 
was  being  held  at  Caen,  in  the  very  centre 
of  the  English  territories;  and  even  the 
Duke  of  Bedford  himself,  after  laying  siege 
to  Lagny,  was  obliged  to  retire,  by  the  Count 
of  Dunois,  with  some  dishonour.  All  these 
things  showed  a  very  different  spirit  in  the 
French  than  they  had  exhibited  before  the 
Maid  appeared  ;  and  it  was  plain  that  her 
death,  so  far  from  discouraging  them,  had 
rather  increased  their  hatred  of  their  enemies. 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  159 

Still  the  English,  being  supported  by  all 
the  power  of  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  were 
far  too  strong  for  King  Charles's  party,  who, 
however,  never  lost  their  spirits,  or  failed  to 
take  every  opportunity  of  pushing  forward 
their  advantages.  But  now,  within  two 
years  of  the  death  of  Joan,  an  action  of  the 
Duke  of  Bedford's  gave  such  offence  to  the 
Duke  of  Burgundy,  that  he  began  to  seek 
for  some  ^pretence  for  breaking  off  his  alli- 
ance with  the  English,  and  seeking  a  recon- 
ciliation with  King  Charles. 

The  Duke  of  Bedford  had  married  the 
sister  of  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  and  this 
connexion  had  hitherto  much  increased  the 
friendship  they  felt  for  each  other,  and  had 
served  to  keep  Burgundy  wholly  attached  to 
the  English  cause.  In  1432,  the  year  after 
Joan's  death,  the  Duchess  of  Bedford  died, 
and  before  another  twelvemonth  had  elapsed, 
the  duke  married  a  young  and  handsome 
lady,  the  daughter  of  the  Count  de  St.  Pol. 
The  Duke  of  Burgundy  was  very  angry  at 
this,  and  complained  that  the  Duke  of  Bed- 


160  THE    STORY    OF 

ford  had  never  had  the  civility  to  inform  him 
of  his  intentions,  and  that  so  sudden  a  mar- 
riage was  a  slight  on  his  sister's  memory. 

The  Cardinal  of  Winchester  did  his  best 
to  reconcile  the  two  angry  princes,  and 
brought  them  both  to  St.  Omer  for  that  pur- 
pose. But  now  a  new  cause  of  quarrel 
arose,  which  was  who  should  first  visit  the 
other.  The  Duke  of  Bedford  insisted  on 
his  dignity,  as  the  son,  brother  and  uncle  of 
a  king,*  and  moreover  the  Regent  of  France 
insisted  that  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  should 
come  to  him.  Burgundy,  who  prided  him- 
self on  his  great  power,  and  on  his  being  an 
independent  prince,  refused  to  wait  upon 
Bedford,  but  expressed  himself  willing  to 
meet  him  at  any  place  agreed  on  for  both  to 
go.  Bedford  was  obstinate,  however,  and 
despite  all  the  exertions  of  many  of  the  lords 
present,  and  of  the  cardinal,  who  laboured 
hard  as  a  peace-maker,  running  often  back- 
wards and  forwards  between  the  two  proud 

*  He  was  the  son  of  Henry  IV.,  brother  of  Henry  V  ,  and 
uncle  of  Henry  VI. 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  161 

princes,  they  both,  says  Monstrelet,  "  de- 
parted from  St.  Omer  without  any  thing 
being  done,  but  more  discontented  with 
each  other  than  before." 

This  quarrel,  ridiculous  as  it  may  appear, 
seems  to  have  decided  the  fate  of  France. 
Philip  had  been  led  to  enter  into  the  treaty 
of  Troyes,  in  order  to  revenge  his  father's 
death  on  the  Dauphin,  by  depriving  him  of 
his  patrimony  ;  but  nothing  could  be  more 
contrary  to  his  own  interest  than  that  France 
and  England  should  be  governed  by  the 
same  king.  His  own  power  was  nearly 
equal  to  that  of  the  King  of  France,  but 
was  quite  unable  to  cope  with  France  and 
England  united  ;  and  had  such  a  union  come 
to  pass,  he  must  have  been  contented,  in- 
stead of  ruling  as  he  did  as  an  independent 
prince,  to  become  merely  an  obedient  vas- 
sal. Now,  that  length  of  time  had  cooled 
down  his  desire  of  vengeance,  and  his  quar- 
rel with  the  regent  had  disgusted  him  with 
his  English  alliance,  he  was  very  willing  to 
listen  to  the  proposals  which  were  made 


162  THE    STORY    OF 

him  by  King  Charles.  It  was  represented 
to  him  that  although  King  Charles,  then  the 
Dauphin,  had  indeed  been  present  on  the 
bridge  of  Montereau  when  the  duke's  father 
was  murdered,  yet  that  he  knew  nothing  of 
the  intentions  of  Tanneguy-Chastel  and  the 
others  who  had  done  the  deed,  nor  was  he 
consenting  to  it ;  and  that  his  youth,  his  in- 
ability to  judge  for  himself,  the  ascendency 
gained  over  him  by  his  ministers,  and  in- 
deed his  inability  to  resent  the  deed,  were 
all  good  excuses  why  he  had  continued  to 
employ  those  who  had  perpetrated  it.  The 
more  to  gratify  the  pride  of  Philip,  the  king 
now  banished  from  his  court  and  presence 
Tanneguy-Chastel,  and  all  those  concerned 
in  that  assassination,  and  offered  to  make 
any  other  atonement  that  could  be  required 
of  him.  To  all  this  the  entreaties  of  the 
Count  de  Richemont  and  the  Duke  of 
Bourbon,  who  had  married  the  Duke  of 
Burgundy's  two  sisters,  were  added,  and  at 
length  he  determined  to  unite  himself  to  the 
royal  family  of  France,  from  which  his  own 
was  descended. 


"  qpiss* 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  163 

For  this  purpose  a  meeting  was  appointed 
at  Arras,  where  deputies  from  the  Pope  and 
the  council,  (or  assembly  of  clergy,)  then 
sitting  at  Basle,  attended  to  lend  their  as- 
sistance in  the  settlement  of  all  disputes. 
The  Duke  of  Burgundy  came  thither  in 
person  ;  the  Duke  of  Bourbon,  the  Count 
of  Richemont,  and  other  persons  of  high 
rank,  appeared  as  ambassadors  from  France, 
and  the  Cardinal  of  Winchester,  the  Arch- 
bishop of  York,  and  others,  attended  on  the 
part  of  England.  The  conferences  were 
held  in  the  Abbey  of  St.  Vaast,  and  began 
by  discussing  the  claims  of  the  two  kings, 
Henry  and  Charles.  The  English  proposed 
that  each  should  be  confirmed  in  the  pos- 
session of  what  he  then  held ;— the  French, 
on  the  other  hand,  offered  only  Normandy 
and  Guienne,  and  those  upon  condition  of 
receiving  homage  for  them  ;  the  deputies 
from  the  Pope  and  council  declared  they 
thought  these  propositions  just  and  reasona- 
ble, but  the  English  ambassadors  refused  to 
agree  to  them,  and  left  the  council.     Mat- 


164  THE    STORY    OF 

ters  were  soon  settled  between  King  Charles 
and  the  Duke  of  Burgundy.  The  king 
made  every  concession  that  was  demanded 
of  him ;  he  apologized  for  the  share  he  had 
had  in  the  murder  of  the  duke's  father,  sur- 
rendered to  him  several  extensive  territo- 
ries, and  all  the  towns  in  Picardy  between 
the  Somme  and  the  low  countries,  and  upon 
these  terms  Burgundy  agreed  to  a  treaty  of 
peace  and  alliance,  which  was  executed  at 
Arras  in  the  month  of  August,  1435. 

The  Duke  of  Bedford  died  on  the  14th 
of  the  following  month,  a  few  days  after  he 
received  the  news  of  this  treaty,  and  from 
this  time  every  thing  wras  wrong  with  the 
English  in  France.  King  Henry  was  pos- 
sessed of  a  mild  and  inoffensive  temper,  and 
he  was  so  pious  and  gentle,  that  he  obtained 
the  name  of  a  saint,  but  he  was  quite  una- 
ble to  govern  a  kingdom,  or  to  control  the 
fiery  barons  who  formed  his  council.  In- 
stead of  uniting  together  to  maintain  the 
power  of  the  state,  the  great  lords  of  the 
kingdom  were  engaged  in  constant  struggles 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  165 

with  each  other  for  power ;  and  far  from 
being  able  to  send  troops  to  secure  their 
possessions  abroad,  they  were  unable  to 
maintain  tranquillity  at  home. 

The  year  after  the  Duke  of  Bedford's 
death  the  city  of  Paris  was  lost.  The  in- 
habitants conspiring  against  the  English, 
admitted  in  the  night  the  same  L'lsle- 
Adam,  who  had  formerly  taken  it  for  John 
Duke  of  Burgundy,  and  joining  with  him, 
drove  out  the  garrison.  In  the  year  1443, 
King  Henry  married  Margaret,  daughter 
of  Regnier,  who  called  himself  king  of 
Sicily,  Naples,  and  Jerusalem,  though  he 
really  possessed  none  of  these  places ;  and 
upon  this  occasion  it  was  agreed  that  the 
province  of  Maine  should  be  given  up  to 
Regnier.  The  garrisons  of  the  various 
strongholds  in  Maine,  after  resisting  for 
some  time,  marched  away  to  Normandy, 
and  demanded  employment  and  support 
from  the  governor,  who  was  not  in  a  con- 
dition to  give  them  either.  Upon  this  they 
went  off  into  Brittany,  seized  on  some  cas- 

9 


166  THE    STORY    OF 

ties,  and  maintained  themselves  by  plun- 
der. The  Duke  of  Brittany  applied  for 
help  to  his  liege  lord  the  King  of  France, 
whoy  thinking  the  opportunity  too  good  to 
be  lost,  did  not  scruple  to  break  a  truce 
which  then  existed  between  him  and  Eng- 
land, and  joining  the  Duke  of  Brittany, 
drove  the  English  completely  out  of  Nor- 
mandy, meeting  with  scarcely  any  resist- 
ance. Guienne  was  shortly  after  subdued 
by  the  Count  of  Dunois.  The  people  of 
Guienne  were  much  more  attached  to  the 
English  than  the  Normans,  or  the  inhabit- 
ants of  any  other  of  the  English  posses- 
sions in  France ;  they  had  been  united  to 
England  for  three  centuries,  ever  since  the 
accession  of  Henry  II.  ;  and  the  frequent 
residence  of  English  princes  among  them, 
had  done  much  to  secure  their  affections. 
They  did  not  now  yield  willingly  to  the 
power  of  France,  but  when  Dunois  had  ta- 
ken all  the  small  places  about  Bordeaux, 
that  city  was  forced  to  agree  to  submit,  un- 
less relieved  by  a  certain  day.      No  force 


JOAN    OF    ARC.  167 

could  be  got  ready  in  time  by  England,  and 
Bordeaux  was  forced  to  submit.  Bayonne 
was  soon  after  taken  ;  and  by  the  end  of 
the  year  1450,  the  English  did  not  possess 
a  foot  of  land  in  France  beyond  the  bounda- 
ries of  Calais.  With  the  exception  of  a 
feeble  attempt  to  recover  Guienne,  which 
was  speedily  put  down,  no  effort  was  ever 
made  to  recover  any  part  of  the  English 
possessions  in  France  ;  for  those  bloody 
civil  wars  were  at  hand  which,  for  thirty 
years,  desolated  this  unhappy  land ;  and 
since  that  time  the  power  of  France  has 
been  too  well  established  to  render  such  an 
attempt  prudent,  even  had  it  been  just. 

I  have  now  finished  the  history- of  those 
great  events  in  which  poor  Joan  of  Arc 
played  so  important  a  part.  Some  other 
day  I  may  perhaps  relate  to  you  the  sad 
tale  of  the  Wars  of  the  Two  Roses. 


THE    END. 


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